Out of the Blue
by Trinity Everett
Summary: Kate arrives at the loft for an impromptu visit and she comes bearing news. Season 6, after the beginning of 6x01, Valkyrie.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Out of the Blue

**Pairing:** Caskett

**Rating****:** T

**Spoilers:** 5x24/6x01 - Kind of.

**Timeline:** AU after the first scene of Valkyrie.

**Summary:** Kate arrives at the loft for an impromptu visit and she comes bearing news.

* * *

><p>She comes to him out of the blue. They're not scheduled to see each other until the end of the month – he's leaving tomorrow for another leg of his book tour, and she's been doing her super secret, super hot, agent-y things for weeks with barely a break. So it's a surprise, to say the least, when the tap on the door comes just as he's heaving his tired (not old, he will not give in to being <em>old<em> just yet) body out of his desk chair.

The late hour has him resigned to the fact that it'll be another one of those nights where a 3:45, "Just got in, will call in a few hours, love you," text will be the extent of their communication, but here she is instead. And for some reason she's waiting on his doorstep despite having a key to everything (his home and his heart, obviously) in her jacket pocket.

"Beckett? What are you doing… here? I thought you were… at work?"

"Hey, I uh, I was. But now I'm here, obviously."

She looks exhausted, but her eyes are bright and soft, and when she steps into him, he forgoes the rest of his questions in favor of folding her into his arms tightly. He feels her sag against him, face pressing into his neck in relief. He knows the feeling.

"Did I wake you?" The question's muffled against his throat as they sway in the open doorway.

He feels her hands press against his back, keeping him in place (where would he go, Kate?) for just another moment more.

"No, no. I mean maybe I was napping at my desk, but you didn't wake me up. I was just heading to bed, though."

Kate nods. "Can we finish that trek?"

"Since when do you need to ask permission to get me in bed, Beckett?"

That gets him a smile. It's tired, with something deeper brewing behind it, but it's a smile. Maybe he'll find out the reason for that once she's wrapped up in their sheets – the sheets she picked out for no reason other than she wanted them.

"Mhmm, that's true. So I don't need permission for a kiss either, right?"

"If you need to ask that, you've been gone way too long." Her hair slips between his fingers as he tilts her head up.

"No arguments here," she breathes against his mouth, lips opening under his almost immediately.

Shit, he's missed her. He's missed this. Phone calls and Facetime dates just don't cut it. There's no substitute for having this woman in his arms. For feeling the press of her breasts against his chest, for having her hips bump against his and her leg hike around his waist in invitation to get her somewhere _else_.

Well he's not one to turn down an invitation like that.

"Bag?" His breath comes out in a harsh puff against her mouth as he lifts her.

"Roller." She kisses him again, pointing in some vague direction outside of his vision. His hand connects with the handle, yanking a surprisingly heavy bag around the doorjamb and into the loft. "Thanks."

She palms his face before he thinks to ask why her bag is so heavy for an overnight stay. "Bed?"

"Bed," he agrees, abandoning her suitcase in the middle of the floor. Nobody'll trip on it in the few hours they'll be asleep; Alexis is enjoying the rainforest, and his mother's still traveling with her latest show.

Their descent onto the bed is less than graceful, but Kate doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she waves off his apologies with hurried kisses and less than gentle tugs on his clothing. His own hands fumble to get her undressed, eager to feel the slide of her skin against his.

Sleep can wait.

* * *

><p>The confusion – no, curiosity – comes back almost as soon as blood returns to his brain. There's something off about her, something that isn't just fatigue or the traces of homesickness he tried not to dwell on the last time they saw each other. It's something in her eyes, in the way she's pressed against his side, having turned down his offer of her favorite sleep shirt – well the favorite of what she left here, the other one resides in her top drawer in DC.<p>

Even while they were making love, there was something different. Something heady and intense, more intense than usual. She'd traced his features with her gaze almost reverently, touching everywhere her eyes covered.

Now, she's just quiet, her breathing wafting against his collar in slow, even waves. She isn't asleep, but maybe she isn't awake either.

"So you're leaving tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah. Heading south this time. I've been warned not to bother bringing anything besides short sleeves and khakis."

Kate hums, skirting her hand along his arm and tracing his bicep thoughtfully. "Must be hot."

"Some might even call the heat… deadly?" It's a terrible joke, reminiscent of over the top TV detectives, but it does its job. His fiancée groans before reaching behind her for a pillow she can use to slap him. It's a halfhearted hit, but it still makes them both laugh.

"That was awful, Castle. Never again. Never, ever again."

"Mmm, kiss me and it's a deal."

Their lips touch a second later.

"What uh, what about you?" he asks once she settles again, draping even more across his chest than before. She stiffens for a split second before relaxing again. "When do you have to go back?"

"I… well, I don't."

"What? What happened?" He lifts onto his elbows, trying to get her to meet his eyes. "Kate."

Her lip's firmly between her teeth and the gesture would be adorable if half of his brain wasn't screaming in panic.

"I quit, Castle. Well, asked for a leave of absence, but it's… essentially the same this early. I quit."

Stunned doesn't begin to cover it. "You, what? Why? Did your secret life of crime come out in your final background check?" It's a last ditch effort and it almost works. Her lips turn up slightly, but she just shakes her head.

"No, no secret life of crime, no disciplinary measures, I just…" Now she sits up, tucking the sheet under her arms before his attention settles elsewhere. "I had my physical last week. For field work."

He nods, trying to connect the dots in his head before she tells him.

"They found something?" It spills out before he can stop it. But he needs to know. If she's sick, he'll do whatever she needs, even if it's getting a dozen second opinions to tell them she's going to be _fine_. He starts to tell her that, too, but before he gets the words out, she's cupping his cheek and kissing him tenderly.

"Yeah, they found something. But I'm not sick, babe."

Her hand slides into his hair, scratching his scalp just the way he likes, carefully drawing him out of his anxiety.

"You're not sick," he echoes, hands going to her hips. Her hair tumbles over her shoulders with the gentle shake of her head.

"Not sick, no."

Okay, then. He bands an arm around her hip, reaching with the other for her hand to kiss her knuckle above her engagement ring. "Not sick. That's good. So what _did_ they find, then?"

Now she smiles. It's hopeful, a soft and hesitant thing, but it's there. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

><p><em>AN: This started off as a one-shot inspired by (but not in response to) a prompt from castlefanficprompts, but the response I received was so overwhelming, I couldn't help but continue it. The first two chapters have been posted on my tumblr, so I'll post them both here quickly, and from then on I'll be alternating between _What Happens In AC_ and this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>He can't seem to make his brain cooperate. It wants to send nothing but static to his mouth, maybe the dreaded "what?" that she hates so much. Nothing else.<p>

She's pregnant. They're having a baby. She's pregnant and they're having a baby.

"Castle, say something."

She's trying to sound light, but he can hear the nervous edge, the trace of shrillness in her request. Oh God, she thinks he's upset; maybe even that he's angry or doesn't want this.

His mouth touches her palm, eyes slipping shut just long enough to picture what their lives could be like over the next few months. All he sees is her belly growing bigger, cheeks fuller, eyes brighter. They're having a baby.

"We're having a baby."

Kate laughs softly, brushing her thumb across his lips. There's only a trace of the nervous crackle in her voice now. "That's generally what being pregnant means, yes."

"Yeah," he breathes, tugging her even closer until her weight settles on his thighs carefully. "Yeah, that's, that is what that means."

"We didn't really … talk about that," she starts, smoothing her hands over his bare shoulders. She touches him as if she expects him to roll away and she needs to memorize every freckle and flaw on his body before he goes. "If you don-"

His head rattles he thrashes it from side to side so hard. "I want this, Kate. I want this with you. I've always wanted this with you. The universe just has a sense of humor in getting us to approach the conversation."

Her breath puffs out shakily, relief making her slump heavier in his lap. Like he'll ever complain about that.

"Okay, okay that's good. That's good." The open-mouthed kiss she presses to his skin makes his fingers tingle with renewed want, but they need to talk more first. To respect the universe. "I want this, too. With you. Just with you."

Clearing her hair off her shoulder, he mimics her kiss in promise.

"Tell me the rest."

"The rest?"

He feels her draw a heart on his collarbone, connecting the smudges that might be freckles from one too many shirtless summer days. He mimics that, too, this time with his mouth as well as his hands.

"So the doctor found out you're pregnant, but how do we get from there to quitting – taking a leave of absence – and coming home? Which, have I mentioned how glad I am to see you? I was going through a serious Beckett withdrawal until you got here."

That makes her smile shyly. "Yeah? You missed me?"

"Missed isn't a strong enough word."

Their mouths collide before he can elaborate. Not that he would've, much. The knowledge that they're having a baby has left him simultaneously verbose and tongue tied. He feels like he has the answers to most of the universe's mysteries on the tip of his tongue, but he can't quite get the words out.

She pulls away with a pop, resting her forehead against his as they both catch their breath. "Same here, Castle. Same here. You have no idea."

"Oh I have some," he promises, folding her into an easy embrace. More hanky panky can wait until later, until they've had their fill of this closeness. "I have some, Kate."

Her breath slides across his throat as she relaxes. He has a feeling she hasn't done much of that in recent weeks.

"So I had my physical last week," she starts again, backtracking to make sure they're both on the same page. "And the doctor called me yesterday and asked me to come in to talk about my test results."

His nod is small against her hair, even as his chest expands with the relief that she hasn't been waiting to tell him. That she came to him probably the same day she found out, instead of sitting on it, worrying, and contemplating alone.

"I couldn't get away from my desk yesterday," she continues. Her hand slides down his arm before curling into his chest. "So that was where I spent my morning today. And once I thought I could make it back to the office without accidentally stepping off a curb at the wrong time, I did that."

The slide of his hand against her back is all the encouragement he needs to give her. Speaking will only break her rhythm and mess with her concentration, so he keeps quiet.

"I had to go straight into a meeting, and it's not exactly something I wanted to just blurt out over the phone, so that's why I didn't you call right then." Her eyes lift to his in promise. He forgets sometimes that, for as easy as he can read her most of the time, she can read him just as easily.

"I know," he assures, offering her a tiny kiss in thanks.

"As I sat in this meeting, this … instructional meeting about the proper conduct in the field, I just kept thinking about being there or not being there for this baby."

"Because of field work? Are you worried about getting hurt? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, but Stack seemed like a pretty hands-off of the action guy, happy to let us do the work and swoop in after the fact. Is your new job any more dangerous than it would've been when you were with the NYPD?"

Now he manages to get the words out.

She licks her lips. "No, it's… about the same. And Stack's… Stack. I haven't even seen him since I've been there. It's not even about that, about getting hurt, not really."

"It's about not being there, in general?" He tilts his head, tucking an uncooperative piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, pretty much. Do you remember Jordan Shaw? Of course you remember her," she cuts him off quickly. "I kept thinking about her kid, and what she said about missing birthdays and bedtimes and being content with calling home each night when she's on the road. I'm… I love my work, but I sat there today thinking I wouldn't be content with that. With missing my kid's_birthday_ to fly across the country for an investigation. Not after… not after spending so long without my mom. I wouldn't want that for them." She sniffs, hiding her face in his neck.

Oh, _Kate_.

It's hard to get her closer than she already is, but he gives it a shot. One hand settles low on her hip, the other delving into her hair. Even if she isn't crying, he's not going to let her go.

"M'okay," she insists a moment later, her voice muffled against his skin. Even so, he feels her swipe at her eyes. "But that's, that's why I asked for the leave of absence, so I could tell you and have the chance to really think about everything."

"But?"

"But then they said at this point, a leave of absence would have them seriously reconsidering my dedication to the job, and we'd be discussing my future when I got back."

"That's not the same as quitting, though. There is something to go back to." His hand makes careful circles over her hip, each one growing a little wider than the one before until he's sweeping her back gently.

She exhales, tension seeping out of her shoulders slowly. "I guess so. It felt like quitting to me when I said fine and left, though."

His lips curl against her forehead. "But it wasn't, and if the task force is what you want to do, then there has to be a way to make both things work. The baby and the job."

She smiles at the word, he can feel it. Baby. Their baby.

"They won't put me out in the field while I'm pregnant. The doctor made that abundantly clear. It's in-office work only."

"Until he or she is born, then you can requalify for field work, right?"

She nods slowly. "But then we have the question of whether I want to be out in the field, leaving you here to do the hard work without me. How fair is any of that to you? To them? Not that having you is unfair," she assures quickly, popping up to press a firm, sloppy kiss on his mouth before any negative slant to her words can even register. "There's nothing wrong with having just you, Castle, never. But it's not fair to put everything on you that way, is it? Not when I _can_ and _want_ to be there."

He can't help but lean into her hands, to let her gentle fingers bracket his jaw. He's supposed to be comforting her, giving her a pep talk, but her words help him, too. If he's honest with himself, he knows he's never really wished Meredith had stayed; even when doing it alone was tough, it was probably better for Alexis to only have him instead of two unhappy, potentially destructive parents. And by the time he'd married Gina, it was as if Alexis was his and his alone – a fact he's ashamed to admit he'd known long before his ex-wife pointed it out. He doesn't want that for their child, his child with Kate. He wants this baby to have both parents, and both parents to have each other.

"I want that, too, Kate. I do. But I don't… the deal's the same as it was when I proposed. This job's still your shot, and I don't want you to not take it, or not explore it to the fullest, because of us."

For a guy who works with words, it's surprisingly hard to say everything the right way. He can only hope cupping her ear and accompanying his words with a kiss will make up for the fumbling.

"You being happy and feeling fulfilled is just as important to this kid growing up happy as being there every day. So don't think of it like it's an either-or ultimatum, Kate. 'Cause it's not."

She kisses him again, hard, and he knew if he were wearing clothes, she'd be gripping his collar to keep him right where she wants him. Since he's not, and technically she's not either, she settles for holding his face, stroking his cheeks, and mewling when she can't get any closer to him.

"I love you, you know," she husks finally, swiping her thumb over his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Kate. And you know what I think we need right now?" He presses another kiss to her lips.

"What?"

"Celebration ice cream." He nips at her lip, entirely too happy to see her smile grow to match his. "Stay here. Do not move a single muscle."

He flips them, the move far more suave this time than it was earlier, lowering her gently onto his pillow. Now that's a view he likes. Something about the enhanced Technicolor of real life compared to a video call.

"I'll be right back," he promises, stealing another kiss before he scrambles through his office and into the kitchen.

It's possible he should've put pants on before going to the freezer, but if his fiancée's laughter is anything to go on, at least his yelp is amusing.

"Not funny, Beckett!" he calls over his shoulder. It's a stroke of genius that has him wrapping a kitchen towel around the carton of ice cream before grabbing spoons, sprinkles, and – after a brief moment of contemplation – the whipped cream and running back into their bedroom.

Kate giggles again as soon as she sees him and he can't help but stop to take her in. She's propped up against the pillows wearing his shirt. Her hair's spilling everywhere, and she's smiling at him. Gorgeous. She's gorgeous.

"How was your little arctic excursion, Castle?"

"Fine, just fine, thanks. And I see someone moved, hmm?"

He dumps his celebration treat collection onto the bed, sliding in beside her once more.

"I did. Because _I_ was cold and I took care of that." She grins teasingly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "But I do love watching you run out of here naked."

Scandalized is what he shoots for when she trails her fingers over his thigh, but it's ruined with a decidedly unmanly giggle.

"Beckett, that tickles."

"Uh huh. Ice cream, bud. Gimme."

She kisses his chin, seemingly content to cuddle against him as soon as he pops the lid on their treat.

* * *

><p>"So here's my proposal," he murmurs finally, putting the nearly empty ice cream carton aside. He's been eating most of it on his own for the last ten minutes, feeding her the occasional bite whenever he starts to feel like a glutton. He makes a mental note to hit the gym soon. It is excessively early to pass a belly off as sympathy cravings.<p>

"I already said yes, Castle, remember?" she hums, waggling her fingers under his nose.

"Vividly, honey, vividly. My palms are still sweaty."

Her nose crinkles adorably against his shoulder. She doesn't like honey as much as he likes babe but he'll keep it in his back pocket anyway. Not that her name isn't wonderful and sexy in its own right, but sometimes he just wants something else to call her.

"But anyway, my proposal is this: you see if you can get an appointment with your doctor in the morning, I reschedule my flight and book you a ticket, and we spend your leave together sightseeing after I sign my fingers to the bone each day. And then when we come home, I stay in DC with you until Alexis comes back from Costa Rica, and we'll figure everything else out from there? By then it should be safe to tell people, Mother, Alexis, your dad, and anyone else, right?"

It's not the perfect solution, but it's all he can think of right now.

"Yeah, it should be. What if I don't go back to work? If they don't _want_ me back at work?"

He licks his lips, turning to kiss her forehead. "If you don't go back, for whatever reason, then we pack up your place in DC and you come back to this home."

She's quiet for a moment. "People will talk if I'm there with you. On your trip."

"So? Everyone important to us already knows. That we're engaged, at least. Let the rest speculate. I can tell people you needed a break and you couldn't resist my charm when I invited you along."

She can snort all she wants, but they both know she really can't resist his charm for long.

He thumbs her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. "Betcha the change of scenery will help. Doesn't it help when we go to the Hamptons?"

Kate smiles at that, nodding slowly. "Yeah it does. So much so I'm pretty sure it's where you got me pregnant."

Ah, that weekend. The last bit of real time off she'd had. "Mhmm, that was a good weekend. In more ways than one." He kisses her hair. "Walks on the beach, singing karaoke, making a baby. We're so versatile, Beckett."

She snorts again, but doesn't argue that point. "You're right. It probably will be good to get away."

"Good. I'll call now. You think you can get an appointment on short notice?"

"Mmm, maybe. Hand me my phone, I'll leave a message tonight and they'll call in the morning with their earliest available." Sleepiness is settling in, he can tell. He doesn't blame her for being tired; she has to get up obscenely early every day, and between getting the news and dealing with taking the shuttle home, he's honestly surprised she lasted this long.

He hands her his cell instead since it's closer. She doesn't seem to notice, googling her OBGYN's practice quickly and letting the phone automatically connect her to their answering service. As tired as she is, she somehow still manages to pull off a coherent, pleasant message before hanging up and slapping the phone back into his hand.

"Your turn to call. I don't need First Class, kay?"

Psh, yeah he's really going to make her sit in Coach. "Sure, Kate."

"I mean it, Cassle."

"I know you do, I know."

She's asleep before he even connects with someone at the airline, pressing their joined hands against her belly. Her skin is warm under his hand, her peacefulness enough to calm his still somewhat rapid heartbeat.

Holy shit. They're having a baby.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to everyone for jumping into this pool with me! I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to everyone individually yet, but I'll do my best to do so soon._

_**Out of the Blue**_

* * *

><p>Paula's none too happy with him in the morning when he calls to tell her he's rescheduling his flight, but he's not going to feel badly about it. Kate's doctor is managing to fit her in just before lunch, nearly the exact time they would've needed to be at the airport and the choice is pretty obvious from where he's sitting. They can take a later flight; those leave almost hourly. The only consequence of arriving later is he has less time to wander the city and explore before his first engagement the next morning. He'd rather use that time to hold his fiancée's hand and find out more about the life they've made than figure out the best place to get a cheeseburger. He doesn't tell Paula that, but he makes it clear he needs to be here right now.<p>

Finally his agent relents, reminding him not to miss the plane because he's playing it fast and loose today. She's loud enough for Kate to hear from her spot beside him, causing his partner to laugh into his arm.

"Are you ever not playing it fast and loose, Castle?"

He grins, stealing a kiss. Kate's still tired; they've been up and moving since 7:15 when her doctor called on her way in to work. Without a morning hit of coffee, she hasn't truly been able to shake the pull of sleep. It probably doesn't help that he's convinced her to stay in her PJs this long, either, but if she really wanted to change, she would've. Instead she seems content where she is; curled against him on the couch, long limbs tucked underneath her, and dozing in and out.

Meredith was never this tired when she was pregnant with Alexis, but then again she also spent the first trimester and even part of the second bent over the toilet in offering to the Morning Sickness gods. Kate's said so far she's been clear of that. If he had to choose – which he knows he's probably not allowed to at all – he'd pick extra naps over puking any day.

"It'll be _fine_, Paula. I'll be in my seat for the signing tomorrow morning and that's all that matters, right? Who cares how long it takes me to get there?"

He can feel his agent rolling her eyes through the phone. "Do it your way, Rick. Do it your way."

"Thanks, I will."

Kate snickers again, waiting until he ends to call to squirm under his arm and drape herself across his chest. "Always a troublemaker, aren't you?"

His hand slides from her shoulder to her hip soothingly. "If you think someday you're going to be able to pin all of our child's wildness on me, Beckett, I _will_ remind you your dad has shown me your teenage pictures."

"Cause he's a traitor," she mutters, grinning into his chest in spite of her words.

"It was a display of solidarity. And that constant scowl was _adorable_, sweetheart."

She pinches him, but it comes from a place of love, he's sure.

"For that, I'm going to ask your mother to reprise her one woman show and this time include visual aids."

"You wouldn't."

She clucks her tongue. "You never know. Maybe I would. Maybe I'll even help her add to the story. Maybe I'll record it and show it to the baby when you're not home."

Instead of a rebuttal, she gets a kiss attack. Not that she complains. In fact she might even encourage it, if the fingers in his hair and the way she squirms are any indication.

"We have time?" he breathes, flicking his tongue over her lip.

"We do… but we can't." She looks apologetic. "No messing around pre-examination." Her hand slides up his neck. "Sorry, babe. We'll celebrate after?"

Right. The appointment. He remembers. "After's good. Mile high club?"

Kate swats him. "At the _hotel_. I will not have the memory of celebrating my first child's first appointment in a cramped plane bathroom… what?"

She gets a kiss instead of an answer. He won't tell her yet what she's said, what she's told him in just three words. Her _first_ child. _Their_ first child. She's known she's pregnant for all of a day and she's not threatening to make this baby the only one they have.

"Nothing, Kate, nothing. Hotel room is good, perfect even. We'll have room service for dinner, it'll be great."

If there's one thing he'll never tire of (not that there's anything he'll tire of when it comes to her), it's the way she lights up when she's happy. The way she smiles and the way her eyes thank him for being the one to make her feel that way. He's never going to get over it, any of it.

"Mhmm, deal. Now kiss me again. We have plenty of time for kisses."

* * *

><p>He's been informed that someone will come get him when they're ready for him, leaving him to sit somewhat awkwardly in the waiting room with three woman. Two are probably late in their pregnancy, the other he's not sure about – Kate doesn't look pregnant either, so he can't say this woman's not – but all three look bored.<p>

Kate hadn't been seated long enough to be bored. It's probably a good thing, because she also didn't have time to sift through these magazines the way he is. Something tells him they wouldn't help her decision about her job as the glossy pages covered in smiling babies debate the working mom dilemma.

"Rick?"

He looks up to see the nurse who took Kate back waiting for him by the door. She smiles warmly when he meets her eyes.

"You can go in with her now. Come with me?"

He's clumsy on his way to join her, bumping into what's probably an empty chair and apologizing to it before slipping into the restricted area and looking around.

"Second door on the left."

"Thanks."

His knuckles rap against the door gently before he tries the handle. Kate's answering laugh is joyous and only continues when he steps in, hand over his eyes.

"Put your hand down, Rick, the torture devices are out of sight. Come here."

She's already reaching for him when his hand moves from his face. Her eyes are bright, but she's not crying, so he hopes he'll be able to keep it together, too.

"Hey," he breathes, plunking onto a stool beside her. Their fingers lace as she gestures to the monitor beside the doctor.

"Look at that, Castle."

Wow.

Oh wow.

She laughs shakily, kissing his knuckles. "Yeah, wow."

"I said that?" He blinks, swiping his face quickly. He's already tearing up and all they can see is a blurry black and white blob. He's going to be a mess in a few months when they can see fingers and facial features.

"No, I could just tell." Her head lifts, mouth landing against his chin. "Me, too."

God, he loves her. He might've told her DC would be great, but this… this is going to be the greatest. Dipping his head, his mouth covers hers.

Kate's doctor has to clear her throat to get their attention, but the second he's not kissing Beckett, he's watching that monitor.

"So that's… is everything good so far?" Kate's hair brushes his cheek as she looks, too. Her question comes out strong, but he hears the tiny waver, the flicker of worry that maybe everything isn't as perfect as their untrained eyes think it is.

The doc smiles. "It is. I'll have instructions and some diet suggestions for you once we're done here, but everything looks perfect."

It's all they both need to relax. "So were we right?" he asks Kate, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Is this a 'Witchcraft' baby?"

His fiancée laughs, leaning into his hand.

"Looks like it. The measurements match up to the dates pretty well."

"We're good." Wow, they really made a baby that weekend.

Kate sneaks a kiss. "We're good," she agrees. Turning back the doctor she asks, "Can we um, can we get about a dozen copies of this?"

He must look confused, because she adds, "She says we can tell people if we want, so maybe after the trip, my dad, your mom, and Alexis? We'll start small, just in case, but I don't want to be superstitious."

He nods, grinning stupidly. She's cautious about this, of course, she wouldn't be Kate if she isn't, but she doesn't want to be fearful.

The doctor laughs quietly. "I'll see what I can do. Rick, I'm going to have you step outside again and we'll finish up here. Then you two can be on your way."

"Of course," he agrees, cupping Kate's cheek and kissing her breathless.

"Meet you outside," he breathes against her lips.

His fiancée's cheeks are red when he pulls away. Immediately she pulls her lip between her teeth. "Go, Castle."

He knows he looks like an idiot, but he's not going to even attempt to hide his smile or disguise the spring in his step. He'll over tip the cabbie on the way to the airport. He'll annoy their fellow passengers at the airport by whistling, by smiling at everyone around. And judging by the elation he'd felt thrumming through her fingers, Kate will probably join him in that endeavor.

* * *

><p>He insists on grabbing a quick lunch after leaving the doctor's office before they drop by the pharmacy and grab all the prenatal vitamins she's been told to take. It's not the best idea he's ever had, since they barely make their flight, but even the mad dash through the airport isn't enough to sully their collective good mood. Kate rolls her eyes as they're seated beside each other – in first class, of course – but as soon as the seat belt is secure around her waist, her arms are around his neck and her mouth covers his. Her tongue probes his mouth slowly, meeting his with lazy ease.<p>

"Now isn't this better than me being up here and you being back there?" he teases when she pulls back, fingers brushing down her arms.

She rolls her eyes again, leaning into his touch. "Yes, you win. This is better."

"Told ya."

"Uh huh, don't gloat, buddy."

He zips his lips. "No gloating here."

If it's even possible, her lips curve higher. She hasn't stopped smiling since the doctor's office. "Good."

Silently, she moves the armrest between them to get closer. The doctor said she needs to sleep when she starts to drag and their Olympian-worthy sprints have worn her out. His arm curls around her easily, letting her get comfortable against him.

"Wanna look at the picture again?" he murmurs as they push back from the gate, slipping his hand under her shirt to caress her side. She curls into him a little more, grinning into his shoulder.

"Yeah I do. Your copy or mine?"

They haven't even reached cruising altitude when she dozes against his shoulder, her thumb caressing the bottom curve of the photo. Briefly, he considers taking it from her and tucking it back into their shared carry on, but when he tries, Kate presses it against her belly protectively.

That's a hint if he's ever seen one, and it's one he heeds. He'll let her be.

Halfway into the flight he manages to squirm for his tablet without waking her. It takes a unique combination of the case's handles, his foot, and a tiny lean but he does it. Normally he wouldn't even bother logging into the in-flight Wi-Fi, since the person he'd most likely be poking is sitting right beside him (and the second most likely person is miles away from a phone or a computer), but he has something on his mind that needs out: Real estate in DC.

If she decides to stay with the task force, they're going to need somewhere to live. Somewhere bigger than the tiny one bedroom place she'd leased before he could suggest shopping around. He still wonders what made her choose the place, charming as it may be, beyond the proximity to her work. A part of him thinks it was some sort of misplaced penance; just find a place with a roof and be happy with it no matter what. Another part of him has to think the lack of permanence she's established in DC means something about her real feelings for the job.

He won't make the decision for her, though, one way or another. He'll bookmark a few listings for now and get a feel for what's out there, just to make the process easier later on. If she stays, they stay. They'll make two homes work. Two nurseries, two rooms for Alexis, maybe even a room in DC for his mother if she asks nicely. If Kate doesn't stay with the AG, then he'll call it possible research for the next book. Nothing wrong with that.

They'll figure it all out, he's confident still.

* * *

><p>He waits until the last possible second to leave her in the morning. He's done everything he can to stay beside her, returning after dressing, even drinking his coffee against the headboard while she sleeps. She's been curled up on her side since he had to slide out of bed the first time, one arm draped protectively over her stomach and the other tucked under her chin, but she reaches for his pillow as soon as he scoots away the final time. He pushes her hair off her forehead, kissing her brow delicately.<p>

"I gotta go, Kate," he whispers, lips close to her ear. "Someone's gonna bring up coffee and breakfast for you in a little bit. I warned them to go half strength like the doc said. I'll keep my phone on me, so call if you need me. Or if you're bored. Or if you just want to come meet me and stake your claim."

She nods, but he's not sure she's really hearing him. "Mmkay, thanks. See you af'er."

He can't resist her sleepy pucker; it's adorable. Knowing that she hates not being kissed goodbye is just a bonus.

"See you later, Beckett."

"Loveyou."

Ugh, she can't do that to him. Now he wants to crawl back in bed and show her exactly what her sleepy murmurings do to him. But he doesn't, because Paula and Gina will team up and bury him alive if he misses the signing.

"Love you, too, Kate."

She'll tell him it's corny and ridiculous if he ever admits it, but he knows as soon as she walks into the bookstore. He can't see the door, but he sees the way heads turn and just knows the people in the back of the line are being distracted by her. He just knows they're distracted by the way she sweeps her hair off her neck when she's warm – as she no doubt is after the walk from the hotel in the mid-day sun – or the way every movement of hers is graceful. Of course, maybe they're not distracted by just one thing, maybe they're just distracted by _her_ as a whole, by the way she radiates confidence and peace.

Of course, when he sees her, he knows how she's distracting people today. He's mid-sentence with one very lovely young woman when he catches her out of the corner of his eye, perusing a shelf. Her hair is braided, but the strands right by her face – remnants of bangs she hasn't had in years – have already come loose, framing her cheeks delicately. The top she chose when dressed is one he bought for her on a whim one day; it's light and gauzy, blues and purples that make her eyes bright. Her legs go on for years in her khaki shorts, and his eyes trail down, taking her in all the way to her purple toes and gold sandals.

She knows he's looking, too. He can tell by the purse of her lips and the curve of her cheek as she swipes her hair behind her ear. Even that gesture is purposeful, because now he knows she's wearing his ring.

It makes him stutter his way through the rest of his conversation, which thoroughly delights the woman in front of him (a quick glance down at the book in his hands tells him her name is Amanda) and he makes sure to send her off with a wink now that he has his bearing again. It's not every day that suave Richard Castle gets tongue tied in front of fans.

He shouldn't look for Kate again, but he can't resist the pull she has. He uses his cup of nearly full ice water as a cover to look over again. Just in time to see his bride-to-be wink over her shoulder at him and saunter off.

Oh, that's just evil.

He has just enough time between people to text her, asking if she wants to come sit with him. He knows her answer, of course, but he'll extend the invitation anyway. Her refusal comes later than he expects, but when he spies the pile of books in her arms a few seconds later, he understands why. What could she possibly be buying that they don't have at least one copy of at home already?

It all makes sense an hour and a half later after he's signed the last book, thanked the last person he needs to thank, and wandered off to find her. She's curled up in one of the cushy chairs, cheek on her hand, thumbing through a baby book.

She bought a stack of baby books. Way more than they probably need, but he knows she's probably painstakingly chosen each one for a specific reason.

"Hey," he calls, swallowing thickly. "I'm done for the day and ready whenever you are."

She looks up with a lopsided smile, crooking her finger at him. "Almost done."

There's not enough room for him to squeeze into the chair with her, so he perches his still nearly-numb ass on the arm instead. He could rest his arm over the back, but curling his fingers around her shoulder to keep his balance sounds far more enjoyable. Humming in what he'll assume is agreement, she drapes her arm across his knees, palm resting on his thigh.

"You looked busy earlier," she murmurs, turning to the next page. "Good feedback on the book?"

"So far, yeah. You distracted me, though."

Kate's eyes are bright when she lifts her head. "Good. I was trying to."

"Tease."

She turns the page. "Uh huh. But you were thinking about me the rest of the time."

"I was thinking about you the whole time," he admits, tugging on her braid to get her eyes. His back protests at the angle, but he kisses her anyway. Her hand tightens on his leg, the hum of contentment vibrating through her lips.

"You want to get lunch and go back to the hotel?"

"Mmm, Mister Castle, that's not sightseeing with me," she singsongs.

"Maybe not, but you're certainly a sight to see."

Her groan makes them both laugh. "I'm so disappointed in you, Castle. You spent all morning with boobs in your face; surely you have better game than that."

"Hey, I signed no chests today. I was very specific."

Kate's hand slides over his thigh, the movement firm instead of tempting. "I know you were, Castle."

"I just thought you might want to rest while it's warm and we can wander around when the temperature drops." He thumbs the ball of her shoulder gently. "Of course, you know I'm game for anything else you might want to do at our hotel, too."

She rolls her eyes. "Oh I'm very aware of that. Two more pages and then _lunch_. And after that, we can see." She settles back in, eyes on her book. "Besides, when you see what else I bought today, you won't want to leave later, either."

If she wasn't being evil before, she certainly is now.


	4. Chapter 4

_To start, let me apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out to you guys. I hope you won't hold it against me!_

**_Out of the Blue_**

* * *

><p>"Hey, I just walked in the door. Where are you?"<p>

Already? She isn't supposed to be back from work for another four hours at least. He'd timed this entire adventure with her schedule in mind. All for nothing, apparently.

"I, ah," he hedges, looking up at the windows of the loft as the cab that dropped him off peels away from the curb. He probably should've mentioned his plans to her before leaving, but he'd only decided after kissing her goodbye and sending her off to work. And he'd figured she'd have enough on her plate after her leave of absence that she wouldn't need him interrupting.

"Castle?"

"I had to run back to New York. I needed more clothes and to drop off those extra books I signed at my publisher. Anything you want me to pick up from home while I'm here?"

"Ah. No, I think I'm okay. Unless you want to bring that tea I like? I've been trying to find it around here and it's practically impossible."

"Done, Beckett. Sorry I didn't tell you, I thought I'd make it here and back before you got home." And while he's in the airport waiting for his flight back, he'll purchase a case if he can.

She must have him on speaker now, because she sounds far away as she replies, "You're fine, Castle. I'm only home because I had to leave work early. I wasn't feeling well."

Wincing, he makes a sympathetic noise. She'd been fine most of the tour, but during one of their last stops, she'd started feeling queasy and the feeling hasn't really gone away since.

"Sorry," he murmurs. "Maybe the tea will help. I'll put it in my bag as soon as I get inside." Yeah, he's definitely going to stock up on it.

"Thanks, babe," she hums. Now she's closer again. He hears the rustle of fabric – the sheets on her bed – and a quiet sigh of pleasure. "Might need to help me buy Villante a new pair of shoes, though."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," she confirms. "It was mortifying. And after that, he pulled me aside and told me to come home and get some rest."

Poor Kate. He knows this wasn't the first day back she wanted to have, no matter how she wants the job decision to go.

"So I'm going to nap until you get back, or close to it. Pick up some food for dinner on your way in?"

He smiles, dipping his chin. "Whatever you want."

That goes without saying most of the time, but still, he says it anyway. He'll stop at the grocery store and get the ingredients for her favorite. No more take out, no more restaurant food for a while. Healthy diet for her, for the baby, for him. Except for the occasional ice cream, of course.

"Mhmm thanks," she's already drifting off. "M'glad you're rich, know that?"

Laughter bubbles from his lips, earning him strange looks from the neighbors in his lobby. "Why's that, Beckett?"

"Cause you can do that. Fly to New York and back, and s'easy. You make all of this easy," she adds on an exhale. "M'the one who makes it hard."

She's so tired, she's lobbing him softballs. Sadly, she realizes what she's said before he has a chance to come up with something good in response.

"Shut up."

He grins, dipping his head to avoid more looks.

"I love you, too. I'll see you in a few hours."

He has a feeling she's asleep before he even hangs up the phone.

It's later than he wants when he lets himself in her apartment door, hoisting a bag of groceries up his forearm and tugging his rolling bag behind him. The place is dark and quiet; she's either given up on him bringing dinner and ducked out for food on her own or she's still asleep.

"Kate?"

No response. But she hasn't texted him, and there's no note anywhere. Still asleep, then. In that case, he'll let her rest a little longer while he starts on their dinner. He has a feeling the smell of food might even wake her up.

He's only getting started when he hears the gentle slap of her bare feet on the tiles. It's all the warning he gets before her arms snake around him and her cheek nuzzles his back.

"Hey," she greets after a second, her voice still rough with sleep. "You just get back?"

"Few minutes ago." Twisting, he manages to catch her forehead with his lips. Her skin's damp, fresh and clean smelling. She must've been in the shower or the bath when he got in. "How'd you sleep?"

"Mhmm, not bad. Not too nauseous now."

"Good," he hums, dipping to kiss her. She tastes minty fresh, making him feel stale by comparison. "Want me to make you tea?"

Kate's nose crinkles adorably. Oh, maybe his breath really _is_ that bad. "I'll get it; I have energy to burn now. You finish dinner."

"Right," he agrees, attention shifting back to their half-prepped meal. "But first, I'm going to brush my teeth. Shouldn't have had those pretzels on the plane."

"No no, you're fine. Hey, you're fine," she promises, catching his arm before he can escape to the apartment's one tiny bathroom and fix the problem. "I, on the other hand, was not. But you're good." A tiny kiss lands on his jaw, then another on his lips again.

"Stay, I just got a concentrated taste of my toothpaste," she adds, dipping her fingers into his back pocket. "How was New York? Everything okay at home?"

He smiles, reaching for a glass of water to swish anyway, just to be safe. The last thing he wants is to make her queasy just by being himself. He's already backed down on his aftershave and decided to switch his deodorant just in case.

"Yeah, everything's good. I dropped those books off, grabbed more clothes. It's a good thing the housekeeper came while we were gone, because I'm pretty sure we forgot to take the garbage out before we left. That could've been bad."

"Ew, yeah that is a good thing."

Bumping him to the side, she settles the kettle on the range, deftly flicking the controls until the surface hums to life. He hates cooking on electric, but this place is all about energy efficiency or something, so no gas it is.

"What else?"

"Brought the mail with me. The pile's on the table over there. I didn't know you were forwarding everything to the loft and not here."

Kate smiles easily, stepping into him. "I get most of the bill notices in my email, and I know you'll pay more attention to the other important things than I will."

"Mhmm, I pay attention to all the things about you." He wipes his hand on a dishtowel before winding it around her to settle firmly on her backside. Even in a threadbare t-shirt and worn leggings, she's hot.

But what's more is the subtext in her words. Her mail goes to him because they're in this together. She trusts him to handle anything big that comes up in New York with her apartment, or with anything else for that matter, while she's here.

"Just tell me what, if anything, I should watch out for. And I solemnly promise to forward all chain letters on your behalf, Beckett."

"You mean those aren't email-only these days?"

Their lips collide, teeth clashing a little bit thanks to their grins, but he'll take it. He loves playful Kate.

"And I also swear to reply with a firm yes when your offer to model for Super Hot Secret Agent Monthly comes in."

Her eyes narrow and he knows she's sizing him up to determine what he knows and what she'll give away with her next question. He's seen that look hundreds of times and it's sexy every single time.

"Ryan or Espo?"

"Neither."

"Dammit, Dad."

He laughs, swaying with her. There's not much room for dancing in the galley kitchen, but they can make it work. They always do.

"Don't blame him, I asked for more pictures."

"Okay, you're not allowed to hang out without me anymore. This is just not fair," she bemoans, pouting up at him.

"How is it not fair? You had police access to my greatest hits of drunken insanity. And I've told you so many stories about my misspent youth." Though there's always more he could tell her, and more his mother could show her. Damn she might just make good on the threats to go to his mom.

"Yeah, but, ugh," she trails off, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "It was one summer and a couple times during breaks from school when there was no one else who could work. And then I stopped when classes got to be too much and never looked back. Happy?"

Extremely. "I'm marrying a model. As a red-blooded man, I'm extremely happy."

She makes a disgusted noise, the one that says he's an idiot and she can't figure out why she loves him as much as she does, but she settles closer anyway. "Fine, good. I'm glad. You're still banned from bonding this much with my dad. At least until I'm in a position to get the dirt on you from Martha."

"She'll never spill my secrets." It's a lie, an utter lie, and they both know it.

"Not until I get the second glass of pinot in her." She grins, kissing his frown triumphantly.

"_Any_way, go check out your mail while I finish this up. Then I wanna hear about work."

He pours her tea while she's distracted, bringing it to her carefully. She's been reading her mail silently for the last few minutes, though every so often he catches a hint of a sigh. She doesn't seem to be upset, though, just contemplative.

"Thanks," she murmurs, leaning her temple on his chin with her first sip. It's probably too hot for that, but it's what she does every time. One searing first taste and then she waits for it to cool down to a manageable temperature for anyone not looking to burn their taste buds away.

They could sit while their food cooks, but she seems content to stay on her feet and he's content to stay where she is. He spent too long sitting today anyway; standing at the table with his arms around his fiancée is not a hardship. Especially not when he can see something brewing in her mind.

"They want me to stay on," she says finally, folding the last of her mail back into its envelope. "At work. They said I'm still an asset they want, even if I can't be in the field."

He had a feeling they would say that. She's one of the best, she really is, and not just because she's a crack shot and hell on heels. It's the way her mind works, the way she considers everything, the way she doesn't let go until the answer makes sense with the story. She's told him he taught her to be that kind of cop.

"But?" he asks, covering her belly with his hand. She'll get tired of him doing that eventually, but for now he feels some of her seriousness fade with the touch. A smile even turns her lips up, just a little bit, before she sighs again.

"Do we really want to do this here, Castle? Have this baby away from its grandparents and our friends?"

"Beckett, people do it all the time."

She fixes him with a withering look. "I know that, Castle. My dad's parents lived hours away and it meant only seeing them on special occasions. And for the most part, that was fine, but looking back now I feel like maybe I missed out on something. With my mom's parents, I got weekends and afternoons after school, and my mom could ask for help when she needed it… if we're here, it's just us."

His thumb sweeps just under her navel as he attempts to come up with the right words. "What if we did this," he starts carefully, "we go back to New York as soon as your maternity leave starts and spend the entire time there. Your dad can stay with us if he wants. Hell, he can come here and stay here whenever he wants, before the baby's born or after. Well, maybe not here here, but when we get a different place, there here. And then when you need to come back to work, we come back to work."

She sags against him, curling her hand around his arm. "You're supposed to tell me we should just go home and I can beg to get my job with the NYPD back and everything will be fine."

"I could tell you that, Beckett, but I won't."

"Why the hell not?" She sounds almost offended, twisting to face him.

"Because I don't think you want to go back. I think New York and the police force is the comforting choice. The safe idea. But I also think we wouldn't be here if we wanted the safe, comforting choice, would we?"

"Well, no, but does that mean we made the right choice? I mean _I_ pushed for this, was it the right thing to do?"

He shifts, turning her to face him. They can't have this conversation without facing each other. They've had enough conversations and non-conversations like that.

"Do you like your work, Kate?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah, of course I do."

"Do you love your work? I know you've barely started and having a baby's going to put a crimp in exactly how you do it, but do you love the work you're doing with the task force?"

That makes her hesitate. "I … well it's like you said, I've barely started. I don't know if I love it yet or not."

"Okay," he assures, shifting a little bit. "Then you need to take the time to decide if you love it. And if you don't, then we make a change. And if that change happens after the baby's born, that's okay."

She smiles softly, nodding. "Okay. I can do that if you can do that."

"I can do that, Kate," he promises, sliding his hands up her arms. "You know I can do that."

Her lips brush his carefully. "I'd like to have my dad come, too. To see us while we're here. However long we're here. And I want him to see the baby on more than just special occasions."

Nodding in agreement, he rubs her arms. "He will, promise. Remember, I'm rich? We can fly him down all the time."

Beckett nods, too, looking around before adding, "But not here, you're right. We'll need to move. I take it you've looked at places already?"

"Just to get an idea of what's out there."

Affection fills her eyes. "Is there anything you're not prepared for?"

"Ah, let me think," he pretends to ponder, waiting until she's giggling quietly to pull her closer. Their arms wind around each other, her palms flattening against his back. "Nope. I think I'm pretty well-prepared for just about everything 'us' related. And Zombies."

"And Zombies," she echoes, bumping her forehead against his chin. "Show me what you found while we eat?"

He doesn't have much to show her. Mostly he looked at what's available at different price points, and what it would take to get something comfortable and suitable for their family, but he can show her that research. Maybe they can make a wish list tonight and he'll start actively looking at listings tomorrow.

His lips brush her hairline. "You got it, Kate."


	5. Chapter 5

Once again, I'd like to apologize for taking so long between chapters of this story. Thank you all for your kind words on the previous chapter (and all of the chapters, really)!

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>This is not how he expected coming home to go. When he and Kate got on the plane in DC, he'd expected to have almost three days to prepare for his daughter's return from Costa Rica. Instead, they carry their bags into the loft, ready to get a little bit frisky on the couch, only to find a pile of his daughter's luggage at the base of the stairs, and his mother breezing through the living room. Even as she asks about the tour and Kate's work, her face says she has a secret.<p>

That's pretty much confirmed when his daughter comes bounding downstairs, cheerfully calling him "Daddy" in a way that says she either wants something, or she's setting him up to tell him she's done something and he's probably not going to like it.

He doesn't.

Even Kate looks surprised when the floppy haired boy joins them downstairs. And just what the hell was he doing upstairs, anyway?

Alexis brought a boy home. Not just any boy. A boy named Pi. P-I, no E, because he finds spelling _stifling_.

Kate's hand clenches in the fabric of his shirt, taming the sarcastic response he feels building in his chest. "We're going to put our stuff in our room. Grab your pictures and meet us back here in a few minutes?"

It's a diplomatic suggestion, and a way of keeping his daughter and her… whatever he might be, out of her room. God, his fiancée is smart.

Still, he sputters as soon as they're within their bedroom walls.

"She's – he's – Beckett!"

Kate rolls her eyes at him, he knows she does, but she pats his chest anyway. The move might be half-patronizing, but he'll take it.

"Castle, she just spent a summer in another country, she's grown up enough to bring a boyfriend home. Besides, he _could_ just be a friend she made who needs a place to stay for a while."

The amused look on Beckett's face suggests she thinks otherwise, but she's offering the possibility to appease him.

"Well I don't want him in her bedroom with her."

"Uh huh, so you're going to put up with him sleeping on your couch, separated from our room by just a few feet and those bookshelves?"

"Well knowing what we do, I'm definitely not letting him stay near my daughter."

Kate laughs at him, cupping his cheek indulgently. Her lips slide over his chin. "Why don't you talk to them both before assuming the worst?"

"Aren't you in law enforcement? You're paid to assume the worst."

"Yes, well, I don't think your daughter brought a murderer home from Costa Rica."

"But we don't know. Can you check on that? Get one of your guys at work to run a background check on this _Pi_?"

"I could, but I'm not going to." She pecks his cheek, sliding around him to hoist her bag onto their bed and begin unpacking. She's only staying for the weekend, but seeing her settling in again makes him feel better.

"But _why_?" he whines.

"Because, Castle. I save my abuse of power favors for when you get yourself into trouble."

She grins, tugging the top drawer of the dresser open to deposit a small pile of socks and underwear inside. His reply gets stuck in his throat as he watches the lines of her body, the grace of her movements, his eyes sliding over her side and down to the skin of her belly that's peeking out from the bottom of her shirt.

The change stops him short. Gone is the near solid flatness, in its place is a gentle, nearly undetectable roundness. If he didn't know every millimeter of her body it wouldn't even catch his eye. To the untrained eye, it probably looks like she's changed her workout routine or eaten a few too many cheeseburgers while they were on vacation, but he knows her, and he knows what it means.

She's starting to show.

"What? No chest grabbing? No whining about being wounded?" She teases, looking over her shoulder at him only to frown. "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head.

"Call Ryan if you're really that concerned about Alexis, Rick; he'll indulge your overprotectiveness. But I think you should probably try talking to her first."

"It's not that. I mean, I will… talk to her."

"But?" Beckett's eyebrow lifts.

He just smiles, stepping closer.

"But I just noticed something about you."

"About me, huh? What about me?"

His fingers trace the waistband of her pants. "You're showing. Not a lot, but I just noticed it."

His fiancée bites her lip, leaning into him a little bit more. "Saw it this morning when I got dressed. Why do you think I chose the stretchy waistband?"

"Nothing fits?" he murmurs, wincing at how thoughtless it sounds. "Sorry. Not saying…"

Kate laughs. "Baby liked vacation food, I guess."

"Well who wouldn't? It was delicious." He's really just glad the morning sickness is mild, or that they manage it well. She manages to keep most of her food down most of the time.

"Mhmm." Her face lands against his throat. "Can't believe we left the beignets on the table at home."

He swallows. Home. Not just her place, or 'in DC,' home. It has felt more like home recently, hasn't it? With both of them there and their ever present hum of energy. He'd unpacked a few more boxes while she was at work, taking care to make it feel like a place they could live instead of an extended stay hotel.

He makes his home where she is. Even if it's foreign to think of another table in another dining area in another place as home, his home will always be where she is, no question.

"That's okay; they should hold until you get back."

Kate hums, rubbing his side quickly. "I'll save you a couple. Promise."

Smiling into her hair, he nods. His palm slides over her belly again, reveling in its new curvature. He doesn't want to think about how much it'll change in the couple weeks he won't be able to see her every day.

He's been excited to see Alexis again, of course, to welcome his daughter home from her trip, but a part of him still wishes all of them could be in the same place for more than a few days at a time.

Beckett kisses his neck gently. "Hey, it's not ideal but we're working on it, right?"

"Right," he agrees, turning his cheek to brush against hers. He doesn't even question how she knows what he's thinking.

"Dad, Kate, I set up my compute – oh, sorry. Sorry."

Kate twists in his arms, pushing his hand off her belly and out from under her shirt. He sees her smile easily at his daughter and tries to make his cheeks lift too.

"Sorry, I should've knocked."

"You're fine, Alexis," Kate assures, her smile never wavering.

"Don't worry about it, pumpkin." He waves off her apology, drawing her into a hug. This time she feels like his little girl, the one who woke him at 5:45 in the morning on her first day of kindergarten to make sure they wouldn't be late. "I'm the one slowing Beckett down."

Beckett winks at them on her way back to her bag. "Is there ever a time when you're not, Castle?"

Alexis giggles against his shoulder. She and Kate just love ganging up on him. The two of them had spent the majority of the impromptu engagement party he'd organized before she left for the summer giggling like hyenas, no doubt at his expense. That's okay, he'd rather they laugh at him than be at odds with each other for any reason.

Hopefully their news won't change that.

He sees the blurry corner of the pile of ultrasound pictures, but Kate closes the bag before Alexis can spy them. The message is clear: Alexis's pictures come first, then theirs.

* * *

><p>"So, Katie, how's work? When you called you said you'd had some time off?"<p>

Well, Jim just cuts right to it, doesn't he? Although, he doesn't quite blame him. Making conversation means at least two of them don't have to be eating for a few minutes.

After seeing his daughter (and _Pi_)'s pictures the previous day, Alexis had grabbed her new friend's hand and they'd departed – "To show Pi the city, Dad." It had left the loft empty for him and Kate – and he had no complaints about that – but it also meant the two of them were asleep when the younger pair returned and he hadn't been able to ensure their guest found the pile of pillows and blankets they'd laid out for him.

Still, he'd been pleased when Beckett woke him with coffee and soft kisses this morning, murmuring that Pi had, in fact, spent at least some time on the couch the night before. His good mood had been short-lived when said young man started making smoothies and they emerged to find the kitchen covered in foliage. Complete with banana peels on the floor.

As Kate and Alexis talked about their plans for the day, somehow Pi had volunteered to "make" dinner. Steaks, he'd said.

Both he and Alexis neglected to mention that said steaks were papaya steaks, and not actual beef. Now they all sit around the table – Beckett's father included – probably longing for a heartier meal.

Beckett smiles beside him, sliding her thumb over his knuckles quickly.

"Yeah I did. I was able to take a couple weeks off so I surprised Castle and we went on his book tour together."

Jim nods encouragingly. "That must've been fun."

"It was. It was also nice to see him doing some work for a change," she teases, reaching for her water glass.

Castle laughs, shaking his head. "I'll have you know, Beckett, that I do _plenty_ of work. Being this handsome is hard work."

Beckett shakes her head. "So is your modesty."

Jim chuckles. "Where'd you go for your tour, Rick?"

He tells him easily, giving Kate the opportunity to gather her thoughts. This is their only chance to tell her dad in person this trip, but neither of them want to simply blurt it out.

They'd had a plan, but he's not sure they're going to stick to it, considering it's just a little awkward, knowing this Pi kid is going to hear them tell their family that they're having a baby.

"We brought presents, too," Kate adds, looking at him and lifting an eyebrow. Oh, that's his cue. Guess they are sticking to the plan.

"We did!" He stands, swiping his napkin over his mouth. "And I will get them right now." His fingertips slide over Kate's shoulder.

They came up with the idea to tell people like this while they were still on the road. Everyone in the family – even Ryan and Esposito, though he'll deliver those presents during the week – gets a present, and with that gift, they're including the ultrasound picture.

Kate's the one who picked out a gold bracelet and clutch for his mother, and the earrings and handbag for Alexis. He'd chosen Jim's vintage leather bound score book and the trinkets for the boys. It was fun, picking things out; they'd laughed over some of the possibilities before settling on their eventual choices. Now, though, his hands shake – some combination of nerves and excitement – as he slides the photographs into each of the gifts. A deep breath isn't enough to compose himself, but he tries it anyway before he scoops everything up.

It'll be great.

Beckett smiles, standing to help him distribute everything. He tries to ignore the awkwardness of not having something for his daughter's new friend, but Pi just shrugs.

"No worries, Mr. C. I'm good just watching."

Well, good.

Something in his face must belie his calm exterior, because his fiancée leans into him as soon as everyone is looking over their treasures. Her hand makes a slow sweep up and down his back before she murmurs for him to relax.

"Dad, Kate, this is gorgeous. Is it handmade?"

"Yeah it is." Kate pulls away, squeezing his waist quickly. "I got to talk to the woman who made it, too. She told me all about how she works with the fabric and decides which type of bag to make. I thought you'd like this one because of all the pockets."

She's clever, his fiancée, encouraging Alexis to look inside the bag where he stashed the photo.

Smiling, he nods to Jim. "We saw yours after a signing one day and it made me think of you. I thought it'd be good for next season. It looked like it's laid out nicely, what do you think?"

"Thank you, Rick." His future father-in-law takes the bait, too, cracking the book open curiously. He watches recognition wash over Jim, but the older man doesn't speak. Instead, he waits for the others to discover the hidden gift.

His mother's sharp intake of breath tells him she's discovered the photo, too. He turns to her, offering a broad smile and she stands to cup his cheeks and declare her gift wonderful.

"Beckett picked it out," he explains, tilting his head in Beckett's direction. Kate smiles over her shoulder at him, subtly nudging Alexis to look in the proper pocket.

Jim stands, too, coming around the table to clap him on the back and kiss Beckett's cheek. He hears him murmur, "Congratulations, Katie."

"Oh my god, Dad. Are you guys – really?" Alexis squeaks, holding the purse to her chest. "This isn't a trick, right? You're not tricking me?"

Kate laughs softly, shaking her head. "No, no tricks. I am, uh, I'm pregnant. It's why I took the time off from work. And we wanted to tell you all together, so that's why we waited."

His arm slides around his daughter. "We thought it'd be easier than breaking the news over the phone. Then we figured why not bribe everyone to listen with presents."

Alexis laughs softly, holding onto his shoulders tightly. "This is… wow. I wasn't expecting that. Congratulations."

"Thanks," he and Kate murmur as one. "We were surprised, too," he adds into Alexis' hair. "But we're excited."

His daughter nods, pressing her face into his neck quickly. "Congratulations, Daddy."

Squeezing her, he makes a mental note to talk to her privately later on. Things might be different now and they might've spent a summer apart, but she's still his first born – his only born for the next few months – and she's going to get his attention.

He sways, smiling at Jim over his daughter's head. Somehow, his mother has stolen Kate, but the older man doesn't look too offended. His future father-in-law plays things close to the vest just like Kate, but he can tell by his eyes that he's happy right now.

"You know, Katie," Jim murmurs, reaching back for the ultrasound picture. "I think this little one has your nose."

"Thank god," Rick finds himself saying, kissing Alexis' forehead quickly.

Alexis giggles, pushing whatever else she might be feeling aside. "Hey, we like your nose, Dad." She tweaks it for emphasis, glancing quickly at Pi.

The boy looks uncomfortable for a split second before he smiles again. "This is great. Congrats Mr. C, Mrs. C-to-be. Who wants a celebratory smoothie for dessert? Everything I picked is _great_ for the baby."

Alexis pulls away, rounding to her friend's side. "Sounds delicious, Pi. I'll help you."

"I, ah," Kate stutters, looking to him like he'll manage to talk the kid out of this. When he comes up empty, she just smiles, "That sounds great, Pi, Alexis. Thanks. I'll come watch you make it; that way I can make my own when I'm back in DC."

Rick sees Alexis cut her eyes to him. Oh. _Oh_. Yeah, he'll have to talk to his daughter. And then he and Kate will have a talk with her, too.

He'll just need Kate to distract _Pi_.

Wonderful woman that she is, his fiancée does exactly that a few hours later, plunking herself down on the couch beside the boy and picking his brain about something while he gestures to Alexis.

"Hey, pumpkin, c'mere. I feel like I've barely seen you since you got home."

"Well, it's been busy," Alexis hedges, following him anyway. "Is something wrong?"

He smiles, perching on the corner of his desk. "Of course not. I just feel like we haven't had a chance to catch up."

"Dad, is this about the baby? Because it's okay, really. I'm not upset or feeling replaced; I'm excited for you."

Her careful wording doesn't escape his notice. "I'm excited for all of us."

Alexis smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "So… DC huh?"

Leave it to his daughter to get right to the point. He fidgets, rubbing his hands together. "For now."

"Babies need more than a 'for now' home, Dad," she chides, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know that, honey. And we're going to look for a place in DC with enough room for you and Gram and everyone. Even if DC isn't permanent, we're going to have a place."

"So you're moving? Just like that?"

"Hey," he murmurs, tugging her closer. "Not 'just like that,' Alexis. We're still trying to figure out all the logistics. But no matter how long we stay in DC, I want you to have a home there, too. Not instead of this one, in addition to it."

Alexis slumps against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His chin falls onto her head; she's so tall now, his baby girl. She might not be a child anymore, but this is still big for her. Hell, it's big for them all.

"It's a little bit crazy right now, I know, but we're going to figure it all out."

"I know."

"Haven't we always? Now we just figure it out with Beckett, too."

"Yeah, we have." Alexis murmurs, pressing her cheek tighter against him. "It's just a lot to think about. You getting married, Beckett having a baby, you maybe moving, school starting again soon for me…"

"And Pi?" he adds, lifting an eyebrow.

"Pi's sweet, Dad. And he's funny and smart," she bristles. "There's nothing wrong with him."

"And I didn't say there was. He's just a change, something new and different added to the routine. A surprise, really. Just not what I was expecting to come home to."

"Makes us even," she mumbles. He has to bite his tongue to avoid asking when it became a competition.

"Will you help us look at places in DC?"

"Dad, I'm not going to DC with you for that. It's rude to Pi."

He frowns. "Well, no, I wasn't asking you to do that just yet. I was going to look online. We can do it from here. It'll be fun. Beckett trusts us. You probably more than me, since I remember something about not needing a secret lair in a second house. All houses need a secret lair."

That earns him a small smile. "We'll just have to find one with a secret secret lair then."

"Atta girl," he murmurs, squeezing her tightly. He kisses her cheek. "I love you, pumpkin."

"Love you, too, Dad. Now, come on, I left my smoothie out there."

He nods. "Go on. I'm right behind you."

His daughter smiles again, this one a little more genuine. "Kay."

Alexis glances over her shoulder before scooting into the living room. He waves, sinking back onto the corner of his desk.

Digging his already worn copy of the ultrasound picture out of his pocket, he props it up beside a framed photo of his daughter. She's gap-toothed and grinning in the picture, and even though Alexis hates it, he won't move it into his bedroom for anything. He can't help but want to hold onto that girl for a little longer, instead of the grown woman who just left his office.

It isn't the worst talk they've ever had, but it's definitely not the best, either. He'll have to try again.

But first, he needs to rescue his fiancée.


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, thank you to everyone for your support of this story! I know I say it every time, but it's always the truth, even if I don't have the chance to thank you personally.

If you've missed any of the story so far, you can catch up **here**.

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 6**

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><p>"Hey," he calls, taking care to keep his voice low to avoid startling his daughter. With her knees drawn to her chest and her head bent over her book, she's in her own world. She's always been hard to draw out of a good story, not that he's any better most of the time.<p>

Alexis looks up a few seconds after he speaks, eyes a little wild with confusion.

"Hey, pumpkin," he tries again, settling on the edge of the table across from her with a soft smile. "I'm about to make a sandwich, are you hungry?"

"O-oh, no. I'm okay. Thanks, Dad. Pi and I are going to eat when he gets back."

"You sure? Isn't he going to be a while?" His head tilts but he doesn't say anything else.

His daughter hesitates. "He could be. He's still fighting to get a new passport issued. They're making him jump through all kinds of hoops."

"Okay, so why don't I make you a small sandwich to tide you over until he gets back? Turkey and avocado?"

She nods quickly. He knows she's started adopting Pi's fruitarian eating habits as well, but he knows she can't resist a turkey sandwich either.

"Kay." Rick smiles, standing again. "Two sandwiches coming up."

Alexis returns the affectionate look, marking her page in her book and standing, too. "I'll help."

"Perfect."

They work together with quiet, practiced ease, which gives him hope that whatever distance is between them right now isn't permanent. While she cuts their sandwiches in half, he pours them both glasses of water, adding a wedge of lemon and a sprinkle of mint to mix things up.

"So I never asked," he starts, taking advantage of the camaraderie to clear up something he's been wondering about for almost two weeks. "How exactly did Pi lose his passport? And how'd he get here from Costa Rica without one?"

Alexis looks up. "He lost it at the airport in Dallas after we cleared Customs. He thinks it fell out of his bag and he didn't notice until we were already on the plane back to New York. We called the airport after we landed, but obviously they haven't found it."

Nodding thoughtfully, he notices her pale cheeks are suddenly an interesting shade of red. "He's… kind of absentminded sometimes, Dad, and I know he's kind of a slob, but he's really not irresponsible like I know you're thinking he is."

Oh, she's embarrassed about it.

"Well… he is kind of a slob, you're right. But accidents do happen." Kate's been reminding him since she left to give his daughter's boyfriend – definitely her boyfriend, he shudders inwardly – a chance. So hah, take that, Beckett. "I once lost my wallet on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Of course I was a little bit dru – "

"Dad. Overshare."

"Right. Sorry." He pulls a stool out for her, tugging his own plate over as he sits. "My point was that I get it."

His daughter smiles softly, nodding. "Kay. Anyway, he's trying to get them to issue him a new one and do whatever you're supposed to do when you lose yours. To make sure nobody can steal your identity, I guess?"

He nods carefully. So once he gets that done, he'll be out of their hair and on his way back to Amsterdam. Good to know.

Alexis takes a bite of her sandwich, groaning blissfully. "Thisissogood."

He can't help but agree. "It's avocado that makes it, I think. Maybe the sprinkle of seasonings."

"It's so the seasonings with it," she decides, sipping her water. He watches her take a deep breath. It's what she does when she's choosing her words carefully, he knows. "Pi's also applying for a student visa so he can stay here in New York. Our program's the best for his bee population research and they're willing to admit him and sponsor him while he finishes his paperwork. They've been trying to get the process expedited with the State Department, considering he's already _here_."

"He's staying in New York," he translates, more for his benefit than hers.

"Uh huh." Alexis sips her water. "But not here. I mean… once school starts again in two weeks, I'll be gone, and I won't expect him to stay here if I'm not."

"So where is he going to stay?" he asks slowly. His gut says he's not going to like the next thing that comes out of her mouth.

"Well I was thinking…"

"Alexis – "

She sighs. "Hear me out, please? I know I'm committed to living in the dorms this year, but if I cancel my housing reservation, Pi and I can get a place together. And we can split the rent – I'll even get a work study job so you don't have to be the one to pay for it if you're opposed."

"Alexis," he tries again, sliding his hand across the countertop to touch her hand. "I'll pay for it. Of course I will. I just, I don't think that's such a good idea."

His daughter straightens, her pale blue eyes flashing. "You lived with a girlfriend when you were my age. Why is it so different for me?"

"Yes I did, and it was a mistake. Because when it ended, I didn't know how to be by myself anymore. Don't you want to live with your friends for a little while longer? Before you're locked in to living with a boyfriend?"

"I know you don't like Pi very much, Dad, but come on. I'm mature enough to make this decision."

Holding up a hand, he continues, "It's not about whether I like him or not, and it's not about your maturity, honey. It's about taking care of you. You haven't known Pi that long and maybe he's a great guy, or maybe he's a psychopath brainwashing us through natural eating –" Yes, he's being a little melodramatic, but it at least gets his daughter's jaw to unclench as she shakes her head and tries not to tell him he's ridiculous.

Serious once more, he touches her cheek quickly. "My point is maybe you should take the time to get to know him a little better before you move in with him, Alexis. He's not Ashley, he's not Max, and you dated them far longer than you've been dating Pi. Would you have moved in with either of them this soon?"

Alexis' chin lowers slightly in acknowledgement of his point. "No, probably not. But so what? I was seventeen when I was dating Ashley. Max dumped me a month after Paris." Oh, he hadn't known that. His hand creeps over to cover hers. "But Pi's better than both of them. And you're leaving to go to DC with Beckett and the baby for everything but holidays, and Gram's busy with her school, so why can't I have someone _with_ me?"

Sliding closer, he does the only thing he knows to do. He hugs her, cradling the back of her head and keeping her close to the steady beat of his heart.

"You can, sweetheart. I just want you to have someone with you for the right reasons. Maybe Pi is better than either of them, but if you're not with him for the right reasons, if you're moving in with him for the wrong reasons, you're both going to end up hurt. I don't want you to end up hurt."

He feels her sniff against his shirt.

"Can I make you a deal? You live in the dorm like you planned and we'll help find Pi a place. Somewhere either close to campus or on campus. Since they're letting him research they should be willing to let him have housing, right? Provided there's space?" She nods subtly. "Kay. So you do that until December and if, come January, you still want to move in with Pi, you break your housing contract and find a place. And I won't say a word."

"You won't?"

"I won't," he confirms, knowing it's a tall promise to make. He'll need Beckett's help keeping it, but if Alexis calls his bluff, he'll do it. "I'll even help you move."

Save for the gentle rasp of his fingers against her back, they're silent. He knows she's considering his bargain, though, just by the look on her face when he glances down.

"Okay. We'll wait."

"You will?"

"Yeah," she sniffs, swiping at her eyes quickly. "Just until January, but we'll wait."

Nodding, his lips brush her forehead. "I think that's a good decision, honey."

"Maybe it is," she says, lifting her head. "Because I've never heard you be so practical, and if you're that practical then you must really be worried."

"Hey! I gave you quality fatherly advice just now."

Alexis giggles, pressing her face against his shirt again. He can't help but hold her closer.

"And Alexis?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

Running his fingers over her braid, he smiles. "It doesn't matter if I'm in DC, across the country on a book tour, or in this chair. I'll be here if you need me. I'll be here if you even _think_ you need me. And I'll know you're thinking about it; I have DSP – Dad Sensory Perception."

"I know, Dad." She smiles, resting her chin on his chest. "Thanks."

He squeezes her again. "Now, let's finish these sandwiches and you can tell me more about what _you_ like about Pi."

That makes her smile widen. Score another one for him. "Kay."

Later on, after Alexis and Pi have retired – separately – for the night, he tells his fiancée about the conversation with his daughter. Kate curls on her side, holding her phone on what's usually his pillow to give the illusion that he's there with her, her eyes eager for the rest of the story.

"You did great, Castle," she assures, reaching toward the phone the way she would if she were about to caress his face. His eyes slip shut, imagining the brush of her fingertips over his chin, his lips.

"Thanks. She still might move in with him, but a least it's not immediate, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she hums. "But you know what? If her mind had been made up, you wouldn't have been able to talk her out of it, no matter how hard you tried. My dad couldn't when I moved in with a guy for the first time."

"I feel your father's pain. Daughters," he mutters. His lips twist upwards when she laughs. "This one needs to be a boy."

The picture bounces as she laughs again. "I think you're the only one who has control over that, babe. But oh, look at this."

It's all the warning he gets before she's tugging her nightshirt over her head.

"Well, I mean, if you insist. But, for the record, I _have_ seen those before, Beckett. And might I say they're looking magnificent this evening?" It's not a lie. Her breasts never look _bad_, but he's a pretty big fan of the way pregnancy is changing them, too.

Kate snorts. "Not my boobs, Castle. Eyes a little lower this time. For a few minutes at least."

She shifts the phone camera a little more, giving him a few tantalizing glimpses of her breasts before he's able to focus on her lower torso. He sees the jut of her hipbone and a pair of adorable purple and lime green polka dotted bikini panties, and the – oh, the gentle curve of her belly. She's already bigger than she was two weeks ago.

"Wow," he breathes.

Beckett's hand slips down, curling under her bump. "I know, I know. I feel huge and it's only the beginning."

At thirteen weeks, she's not huge by any stretch, but there's no doubt that she's pregnant now.

"It's beautiful."

"Thanks, Castle. I thought you'd want to see it."

"Can you move the phone closer?"

She laughs softly. "It'll distort everything."

"I know, I just wanna talk."

"I'm not sure they can understand you yet, you know."

"Don't care, I'll talk anyway."

The phone moves closer to Kate's stomach, even as she mutters, "Do you ever stop?"

"You love it, Beckett. Your mommy loves it, baby. Don't listen to her when she says otherwise. She loves when I talk to her and when I talk to you. I'm going to see you soon; I'm coming to look at houses with you in three days. Try not to get much bigger before then, okay?"

The picture shakes as Kate laughs, and everything gets blurry for a moment before the camera focuses on her face (and her breasts, too, because she does love him) once more. She rolls her eyes when she sees where his eyes are, but doesn't cover up.

"Off," she commands once he finally looks back at her, gesturing to his shirt. "Turn about is fair play."

"Okay, okay," he grunts, tugging his t-shirt over his head before tilting the phone to give her the chance to look him over as well.

"Mhmm, much better," she purrs. "Can't wait to see you, you know."

"Me either, Kate."

"Yeah?" She smiles around her lip. "You think we'll make it to the bed when you get here?"

"Hmm, no, probably not." He has so many plans for her when he sees her on Thursday evening, so very many plans. He just wishes she didn't have to work Friday. "But there's plenty of time for the bed. We just have to make that appointment at three thirty on Saturday, and I think baby'll send us out for food earlier than that."

"And we have the two on Friday during my lunch break, too."

Pillowing his head on his arm, he nods. "Plus I'm going to look for other listings and open houses while you're saving the world."

She laughs, licking her lips quickly.

"Don't know how much world saving I'm doing from my desk, Castle." He sees her hand dip downward and he just knows she's rubbing her belly. Kate loves this child beyond reason, but not being a part of the action still bothers her. Not being the one asking the questions is something she's still not used to. She's getting there, though.

"Psh, you save the world in little ways every day. Even if you aren't running around in stilettos and your incredibly sexy coats. Every interview transcript you read, every piece you put together from an unhelpful case file, every intuitive leap you make to leave those other boring Feds in the dust saves the world a little bit, Kate."

"Yeah? You think so?"

"I think you made a big break you only vaguely discussed last week, did you not? Whose life did you save then?"

"Castle, I can't –"

He interrupts softly, "I know. You can't talk about it. My point is you're making a difference in lots of ways, Kate. Different ways than before, maybe, but you're still keeping guys who hurt people – or might hurt people – from hurting others. You're still doing right by the victims. And you don't even have to leave your desk."

A shy smile spreads over her lips. "Thanks, babe. It helps knowing you think that."

"I think it's sexy, too. Does that help more?"

She giggles. "Well it doesn't hurt. I still feel like a glorified paper pusher most days, but that doesn't hurt."

"Ah, but you're a sexy glorified paper pusher."

Grinning wickedly, she slides her fingertips down her neck and over her clavicle. "Do you think everything is sexy?" she hums, dragging her fingers back and forth, the motion hypnotic.

"Kinda, yeah," he mumbles, eyes following her hand.

His fingers feel large and clumsy as he mimics the action on himself; his imagination is hard pressed to picture the touch coming from her until she whispers for him to close his eyes and listen.

"Feel my words, Castle."

His head bobs, but his eyes stay shut. "If you feel mine, too, Kate."

She inhales sharply. It's easy to picture the flush creeping up her neck, the rise and fall of her chest. He feels the phantom motion of her hips rocking against him, the slide of her calf over his, the push of her mouth against his.

His fingers clench against his chest, but he forces himself to relax, to wait for her directions.

"I always do," she promises, and he can swear her breath moves his hair across his forehead. "I always feel your words, Rick."

—-

_A/N: I took some liberties with Pi and his passport/visa/job, but I think it fits this story pretty well. Thanks for reading, everyone!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for continuing to stick with me on this journey!_

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 7**

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><p>The look on her face says it all.<p>

This is the last house on their list, the last one they'd both circled, and something about it just doesn't work. They haven't even made their way through the entire place, but her eyes tell him she'd be fine walking out right now.

His thumb skirts over her back, feeling the heat of her skin even through the loose cotton. The weather in New York has been mild for this time of year, but here in DC it's a lot like stepping into a sauna and not being able to leave. Kate's pulled her hair into a bun, just to keep it off her neck, and she shivers when he blows a line of cool air across her skin.

Their realtor pauses down the hall, waiting for them to catch up. She's been keeping up a stream of careful chatter about the house and the virtues of the neighborhood; it looks like the suburbs, but it's close to transportation, the people are friendly, and the schools are thriving, all good points.

It's a gorgeous house, but it's just not _them_.

Still, he smiles politely as she rattles off some tips on taking the current owner's loud wallpaper down and turn the upstairs study into a nursery. Kate nods beside him, even though he's pretty sure she has at least partially tuned the woman out. She gets the same look on her face when he dives a little too deep into his conspiracy theories. It's her placating face.

The tour's over soon enough, and they find themselves standing in the heat, discussing where to go from here. Kate covers her eyes with the flat of her hand, glancing around quickly before settling on telling Connie they'll be in touch once they've had the chance to talk things over. He agrees quietly, giving their realtor's hand a firm shake before leading Kate to the rental he'd picked up at the airport when his flight landed on Thursday.

The car's probably unnecessary, but it means they can come and go as they please instead of having to ride with Connie.

It also has the benefit of an insanely good air conditioner. Thank god.

Kate echoes his sentiment with a groan that's entirely obscene. His answering hum is probably close to the same level, but neither of them seem to care. In fact, they both train their vents onto their faces and shut their eyes. It looks strange for them to just sit there, he knows, but anyone spying on them will have to deal with it for a few minutes.

"Thank you, Castle," she murmurs finally. She smiles when he peeks an eye open, continuing, "For not knocking me up earlier in the year, thus causing me to be extremely pregnant during a heat wave like this."

He chuckles, partially from her conviction and partially because she said 'heat wave.' It's the little things sometimes.

"Glad to be of service, Beckett."

She answers with a toothy smile as he puts the car in gear and pulls away from the curb. Once they're back on roads he recognizes, he slips his hand off the wheel, reaching across the console for hers. As warm as they are, a kiss of palms is pretty much all they can tolerate.

"So that was…"

"Disappointing?" she offers when he trails off.

"Yeah. What was it for you? At this last one, I mean," he adds, glancing over when they stop for a red light.

"I don't know exactly. A lot of little things?" She shifts in the chair, exhaling when the fan blows over her side. "There was a lot of work to do, too. I hated how closed off the kitchen was. I mean, think about how often you talk from the kitchen as you cook in the loft. And that wouldn't have been a cheap fix to open it up, either."

He nods. He'd been thinking the same thing. "The bedrooms were small, too. Really small."

"Yeah, your mom won't like having to sleep on a twin bed when she visits."

Snickering, he shakes his head. "But can you imagine it? Richard, darling, we're going to _have_ to talk about my accommodations," he mimics his mother's voice, grinning when Kate dissolves into giggles. "Now, I love you and Katherine both, but my room simply _won't_ do. But don't fret, kiddo, I'm taking your credit card and reserving the President's Suite at the Four Seasons. See you in a few days, ta ta!"

That sets his fiancée off all over again. He actually has to take his hand back because her laughter keeps tugging on his arm, shaking his entire torso and rocking the car.

"You're awful."

"Awesome is actually the correct word, Beckett, but I'll give you a pass this time because you're tired and the heat's obviously getting to your beautiful brain."

Kate snorts. "Yeah, thanks for that." Her fingers curl around his thigh, squeezing gently. "So not the last house. What about the others?"

One shoulder lifts. "I don't know," he sighs. "They weren't _bad_, but something wasn't right about them."

"I know. That's what I thought, too. I thought maybe it was just me, but they were just… missing something."

Rick nods, rubbing her knuckles gently.

"We'll keep looking. And Connie knows what we like a little bit better now, too."

"Yeah she does." Kate yawns, scrubbing a hand over her face. He sees a disgusted look creep across her features when she realizes along with the sheen of sweat, she's also wiped away her makeup. "Thanks for doing the leg work on this one."

"I'll find us more to look at tomorrow. Not too many, but maybe we can find a couple open houses and explore."

She nods, wiping her fingertips on a napkin from the console. "You still heading back on Monday?"

"Yeah, Alexis is only at home until Friday and then I'm moving her into the dorm so she can get settled over the weekend. Pi's on the waiting list for Columbia housing, so by noon on the first day of her classes I'll know if he's going to need my now-extensive skills as a house hunter or if someone gave up a spot he can take."

Kate smiles, rubbing his leg firmly. "At least he won't be sleeping in the middle of your living room anymore."

"And I cannot be happier about that."

She chuckles, looking around quickly when she realizes he's passed their turn. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know about you, Beckett, but I need a cold milkshake and a cheeseburger right about now."

Her stomach rumbles before she has the chance to admonish him about sticking to their healthy eating plan. "Okay, okay, then we're good for dinner. Baby wants a cheeseburger and a shake. And let's take it home, okay? I can't be in these clothes anymore."

"No arguments here."

His bride-to-be rolls her eyes. "No, of course not." She smiles a moment later, though. "And this way we can look for more places while we eat."

"Deal." He punctuates it with a kiss to her palm.

* * *

><p>Monday morning comes entirely too soon. Not for the first time, they're both awake before the alarm trills, trying in vain to prolong the weekend by holding one another close and sharing soft, slow kisses. Even after forgoing more house hunting and spending most of the day in bed on Sunday (they still have <em>months <em>to find a bigger place, after all), they're not quite ready to be apart. When they finally do leave bed, it's only to step into the shower together. The stall is cramped for two of them, but Kate doesn't complain when he uses their lack of space to press her against the wall and slip his tongue into her mouth.

Surprisingly, it's his phone that rings and not Beckett's, interrupting the easy silence they've established as they prepare for their day. He spits his toothpaste into the sink quickly, swishing with the cup of water Kate hands him before reaching for his phone.

"Castle, it's Ryan. We called your place, but Alexis said to try you on your cell."

"Uh, yeah, I'm in… DC with Beckett. What's going on? Do you miss me? It's okay to say you miss me."

Beside him, Beckett rolls her eyes and hip checks him to get to the sink. He drops a kiss on her cheek as he steps away.

"Sure, Castle. Actually, uh, we have a bit of a situation. How quickly can you get here?"

"I, ah, well I'm dropping Beckett at work and then going to the airport. I don't think I can get an earlier flight?"

"No, that'll be fine. I'll text you the address."

"Yeah, okay, sure. I'll let you know when I'm on my way."

Kate tilts her head, waiting for him to pocket his phone before she lifts an eyebrow in the mirror.

"What was that all about?"

"He's going to text me an address; there's a situation and they want me there? He didn't say what it was."

"That doesn't sound comforting." She drops her mascara wand, turning to face him fully.

"Ah, I have a feeling it's just Ryan messing with me. It'll be fine," he promises, curling an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"Kay, well, keep me updated on the situation." Her mouth lifts a little bit. "Especially if it's just Ryan messing with you."

"Of course." He steals a kiss. He knows Beckett misses the guys and their playful antics, too. "But now, it's time to get you to work and for me to, reluctantly, leave on a jet plane."

His fiancée sighs, ducking her head quickly to keep him from seeing her face fall. It gets harder to say goodbye every time, and he has a feeling that won't change as her pregnancy progresses. There's so much happening and she asks so many questions and amazes him with new factoids each time they speak, plus they just plain _miss_ each other.

"But you'll be back at home in two weeks," he reminds her softly, using their embrace as an excuse to sway with her. "And we'll have to actually decide if we want to know if it's a boy or a girl. Sixteen weeks."

They've gone back and forth a few times. One moment he doesn't mind the idea of it being a surprise, the next he desperately needs to know. Kate's been the same way. Part of her wants the chance to control something in their out of control lives, but he knows she's also kind of excited by the magic of not knowing.

Beckett exhales. "Sixteen weeks. Four months, Castle."

"In two weeks." He presses an open-mouthed kiss to her cheek. "Fourteen as of yesterday or the day before, maybe Friday."

Her laugh is breathy. "It's a little weird, you know, knowing almost exactly when I got pregnant."

"Mmm yeah that is." He chuckles. "Forget I said that."

"Yes, let's." She kisses his chin quickly. "And I want something greasy for breakfast on the way to work. Please."

Beckett slaps his wandering hands away, keeping him from getting to her skin one last time. They really don't have time for it, especially not if he's needed in New York.

"Done."

Her smile returns, even if it is tinged with sadness.

Later on, he finds himself wishing he'd taken a few extra minutes to make them both late because offering himself up in exchange for hostages hadn't been the first thing he wanted to do when he got back to the city. It wasn't on his mind when he called Beckett to fill her in on the situation as he knew it upon arrival.

Getting shot – in the vest – by said hostage-taker _definitely_ hadn't been on his list of plans.

He's okay, though. Sore and wishing Beckett could be here to baby him in her no bullshit way, of course, but he's okay. And once he solves this case, he'll go home, call his fiancée again, and tell her what happened from a hot bubble bath. That'll soothe the aches, right? Not as much as having her beside him would, but he's not going to dwell on that.

He just needs one of the guys to listen to his theory a little longer. He's onto something, he knows.

"Castle!"

His neck protests sharply when he swivels to find Beckett storming the bullpen. She looks harried, face flushed, hair windswept, and he wonders how many blocks she had to run because the cab was just taking too damn long to get her to the precinct.

"Hey, Beckett, hey," he tries for cheerful, hoping she won't notice him grimace as he stands. Judging by the narrowing of her eyes, she doesn't miss it. (Who's he kidding, anyway, Beckett sees all. She's going to be the best mom on the planet.) "What are you doing here?"

"Ryan called," she explains breathlessly, hands landing on his shoulders to steady herself as soon as she gets close enough. "He left me a message when I was in the air. He said you were _shot_, Castle."

"I, ah, yeah. She hit me in the vest, I landed on a coffee table, it was all very dramatic, but I'm fine. I'm fine."

Beckett's hands move to his cheeks. "I'll believe that when I see it. Move," she orders. "Locker room, go."

Experience tells him arguing is pointless when she's making that face, so he moves. Satisfied with his compliance, her hand falls to his back as she follows him. Her grip on his jacket doesn't hide the tremble in her fingers.

"Were you checked out? By a paramedic?"

"I was. They said I'm fine, but if I get too uncomfortable to go see a doctor."

Her hum is noncommittal but her fingers relax minutely. "And did they check you for head wounds? You have scratches on your neck."

"Ah, those are from you, Beckett. Remember? You needed a grip in the shower this morning"

"… right."

Looking back takes effort, but it's worth it to see the pink tinge to her cheeks. "But they did check me out. I have a knot on my head but no cuts. And no signs of concussion, either. And I think I got all the glass out of my hair."

Licking her lips, Beckett nods. "Good." She holds the locker room door for him, barely glancing around to see if they're alone before she orders him to take his shirt off.

He does, keeping his face as neutral as he can when the motion tugs at the rapidly growing bruise on his chest. Across from him, Kate crosses her arms, swallowing hard as she sees his discomfort.

"Beckett, hey, I _am_ okay."

"Castle, you were _shot_."

"And yeah it hurt, but I know who the killer is!"

Her hand touches his side, halting his squirm from foot to foot. "Who's the killer?"

"Okay, so Emma – "

"The person who shot you," she supplies, brushing her fingertips over his chest. Pain flares the closer she gets to center, but he swallows and soldiers on.

"Yeah, her. She's accused of killing her boyfriend, but she didn't do it. Someone's setting her up. Come to find out she's adopted and her boyfriend stole her adoption records. Why would he end up dead if those records weren't protecting the killer?"

"I –"

"Exactly. What if her birth parents don't want to be found? What if they'd stop at nothing to keep Emma from finding out the truth?"

"Castle," she sighs, fingers probing gently.

"I know I'm right, Beckett." He tries to hide the hiss at the contact.

"Sorry, sorry." Her mouth dips, lips opening against his skin. "Sorry. No more poking. I have some stuff at home that'll help. Are you ready to go?"

Shaking his head, he exhales. "I have to stay. I can't leave yet."

"Okay, okay. We'll stay." She thumbs his bicep gently, taking his shirt from his hands and helping him into it again. "Do you have ice already?"

"Not yet, we pretty much just got back here."

"Okay, I'll get you some in a second." Deftly, she rebuttons his shirt, leaving an extra button open to keep it from pressing into his skin.

"Thanks."

He sees her swallow down whatever emotion she's feeling and it hits him that she _shouldn't_ be here. She was in DC this morning; he dropped her off at work_in DC_ this morning. She really had hopped a plane and taken a cab and probably jogged a block or two at least to be here. And she hadn't done it after he'd been shot, there was no time for that.

"You left work to fly up here?" His hands fall to her hips after she helps him back into his coat.

The laugh she releases is watery. "Of course I left work for this, Castle. You went into a hostage situation willingly. You were _shot_. My baby's father was_shot_. What the hell else would I do? I was coming to help." Her cheek lands on his shoulder and her arms wind low around his waist, keeping as much contact as possible without touching his chest. "I threw up on the plane, I was so worried," she adds abruptly, pressing closer.

His fingers slide through her hair, hopefully soothing her fears and calming any part of her stomach that's still rolling.

"Well I'm glad to see you. I was already missing you terribly."

"I'm glad you're still breathing for me to see," she confesses, swiping at her eyes quickly.

"Doing more than breathing, Beckett, and if you'd like to fulfill a personal fantasy of mine, I could show you right here."

That gets the laugh he'd been hoping for. "Sure, Castle. I'll just get us both kicked out when neither of us technically work here."

"But what better a time to do it? We can't get fired, we can't be censured, because we don't _work _here."

Her lips slide over his. "Another time."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

She smiles finally, her arms relaxing around him. "Good. Now let's go solve your case, super cop."

They do solve the case. There are still going to be consequences for Emma, and he's fairly certain he'll be called on to testify at her trial, but she isn't going away for murder thanks to them. His chest hurts more now, but he accepts her hug of thanks before introducing her to her birth father and leaving them to it. It wasn't the day he'd expected to have, but it feels good either way.

Kate's hand slides over his arm when he joins her at her old desk. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he assures, smiling softly. "I'm okay. You're not flying back tonight are you?"

Her hair tumbles over her shoulders as she shakes her head. "No, Castle. Tomorrow morning."

"Good. Old Haunt for dinner? We can invite the guys, and Lanie and Jenny, too."

"Sounds good," she agrees, leaning her cheek on his shoulder quickly. "Hey, Espo. You hungry?"

"Is your fiancé buying?"

He laughs, nodding. "Yeah, I'm buying."

"Good. Then I'm starving. Ryan, call Jenny. Castle's buying."

Kate snorts behind her hand. "I'll call Lanie and have her meet us there."

"Perfect," he hums. It'll be good to have all of them together again.

His arm curls around Kate's shoulders as soon as they clear the precinct doors and he feels her slump a little more against his side. Ryan's lips turn up, but the tease they all know is on his tongue stays unspoken.

"Jenny's so excited to see you, Beckett."

Beckett smiles against his shoulder. "Me, too. How's she doing? Is she feeling better than she was the last time we talked?"

"Oh yeah. It was just a bug she picked up at work, but her doctor didn't want to let her take anything."

She smiles. "Yeah, there's not much you can take for that. I started reading up on it after you told me she was sick. Just in case," she adds, lifting a shoulder quickly.

"Speaking _of_, how are you doing, Beckett? We still don't quite believe that whole 'you and Castle having a baby' thing, you know."

Beckett laughs, sliding her hand over her sweater. Pride blooms in his chest when she pulls it taut over her belly. "Believe it now?"

Yeah, they did that together.

"Nah. Could be a pillow. Or maybe they're feeding you really well with the AG. Who knows what you do in DC."

"Not a pillow, Espo. And not the result of a really good company meal plan. Actual baby," she drawls, squeezing Castle gently. "And at least now we've got a jump on the 'when are you going to have a baby' question we'd get after the wedding."

"Yeah, but now you're gonna be asked when you're getting married," Espo points out, eyebrow lifted. "When are ya getting married anyway?"

"Ah, well," Kate stutters, looking up at him. "We're still –"

"Choosing the best date," he answers for her, grinning at their friends. "Mother has her set of rules, and we want to make sure Alexis and Kate's dad are able to make it. Plus I think we're kind of waiting out Pi, so we don't have to photoshop a fern in his place in the wedding pictures later o- ow, Beckett!"

"Be nice."

"That _is_ nice. And practical."

His fiancée rolls her eyes, looking back to Ryan and Esposito to make sure they see her suffering as well.

"You're marrying him, Beckett."

"And procreating with him, too," Ryan adds cheekily.

"Fine. Getting back to the subject of dinner, you didn't make the menu changes you were talking about yet, did you?"

He blinks at her rapid subject change. "Um, no? Not unless Brian was especially on the ball last week. Why?" The Old Haunt's kitchen isn't exactly large so they generally stick to the same menu, but he's been considering making a few tweaks to it for the last few months. Nothing crazy. Bar food is bar food, but rotating things every so often never hurts.

"Because I need that buffalo chicken sandwich right now," she groans. "I've been thinking about it all day and I don't even know why."

Oh-kay. Buffalo chicken sandwich stays on the menu until the baby is born and Beckett hates it again. Even if the menu says otherwise, he'll make sure everyone knows.

"For you, there will always be an exception made."

Her lips press against his cheek. "You're sweet."

And a smart man, too, if he's allowed to give himself that title. She carries a gun most of the time; he will not disappoint her when she has a craving.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I can't remember if I've said it here, but barring any unforeseen changes, this story will be 13 chapters. So we're just over halfway there! Thank you to you all for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Once again, thank you all for sticking with me with this tale._

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 8**

* * *

><p>"What do you mean there's another offer on the table, Connie?"<p>

"I'm sorry, Rick. I just spoke to their agent and she told me another offer came in at around the same time as yours. It's compelling enough that they're sending you both back to the table and asking everyone to come in on the same day to, well, to duke it out essentially."

He sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. "They want a bidding war."

"Pretty much. Now, if you don't want to play ball, you don't have to. We can keep looking until we find a property with more cooperative sellers."

"No," he interrupts. "I'll play ball. The house is too perfect not to."

And it is. As soon as he saw the listing go up, he knew it was perfect. Lots of light, lots of charm, enough space for him, Kate, and the baby, plus any and all of their family should they come visit. It has the office he wanted, and a master bedroom big enough for a seating area like Beckett was secretly pining to have. It's on a safe street, in a good neighborhood, and it has all the security bells and whistles he likes.

So yeah, there's no way he's letting it go. He won't tell Beckett he found their perfect house and then lost it.

"When do they want to see everyone? I'm assuming they're scheduling it hoping for at least another offer or two to come in?"

"Next week, Tuesday, and that's the strategy. Can you fly down then? I know your fiancée has work that day, plus you said you'd like to surprise her with this, otherwise I would've called her, too."

Rubbing his neck, he shakes his head only to remember Connie can't actually see him. "No, no, don't call Kate, I really want to surprise her and get this weight off her shoulders. I'll bump a couple meetings up to this week so I can be there. What time?" If it's not too early, he'll fly in that morning, that way the Monday afternoon interview can go on and they won't have to worry about finding another time to do it.

Connie's smiling again, he can tell by her voice when she tells him. "Thanks for being so understanding, Rick."

"Thanks for calling to let me know."

The phone clatters onto his blotter before he can stop it. It's not the end of the world, of course, but he'd been hoping to go back to DC at the end of next week with good news. Instead that plan's going to get jumbled up.

On the bright side, he does get to see Beckett sooner. There's never any downside to that. And hopefully doing it in person will mean he'll be able to bring good news home to his fiancée on a random Tuesday afternoon.

Plus, maybe having something else to do will help him stop staring at the envelope he'd found on his desk after dropping his fiancée off at the airport just a few days ago. _"If you open this, you lose… and you have to call me,"_ the front says. It'sa funny message; funnier still because he'd stealthily put an identical envelope with a nearly identical message in her suitcase while she did her makeup.

He doesn't _want_ to lose. He _can't_ lose; he's just _so_ curious to know. But then again, he knows she is too.

In the end, the desire for magic and surprise won out and they'd agreed not to find out the sex of the baby at her last appointment. Her doctor sent them home with two envelopes containing the answer, just in case they changed their minds after the fact.

Now his envelope mocks him.

He won't give in, though. He will not lose. He'll make it just as long as Kate, if not longer. He'd waited to find out with Alexis, he can wait now. All he has to do is walk away from the temptation.

The envelope calls to him again, a siren song of temptation. All he has to do is pick it up.

Maybe he'll call Paula and Gina from the other room. Yes, that's what he'll do. Book stuff first, house second, giving in to his curiosity last.

Suffice to say, both women are surprised when he requests they reschedule next week's meetings to this week. They're well-practiced in handling his usual desire to avoid the boring aspects of his job, the meetings and the negotiating; moving anything up is unheard of for him. They agree, though, especially after he explains that he'll be busy fighting for what he describes as the greatest house ever, not just goofing off.

It's a relief not to have them fight him on it. They both do take a moment to remind him not to be late to anything and to remember to actually _write_ at some point, but it's less of a nag than it would've been years ago, so he's not going to complain.

He could write now, or he could call his fiancée and hear her voice.

He does the latter, stretching his legs out and propping his feet on the chaise. It's nice having his couch back. Really it's nice having his entire house back, though with Alexis back at school, Kate in DC, and his mother running in and out so often, it has started to feel more than a little lonely. Not that he'll ever admit that to her; the Rodgers ego needs no help.

"Beckett," she snaps, jolting him out of his mild pity party. Either he's done something and he doesn't know it, or she's having a bad day and didn't even look to see who was calling.

"Hey, it's me. Bad time?"

"Castle, hey," her voice gentles. "Sorry, I – long morning. Not a bad time, though. What's up?"

"Wanted to call to say hi."

"You're procrastinating again, aren't you?"

He scoffs. "No! Well, maybe a little bit."

Now she's smiling. "Uh huh. Don't you have another signing today?"

"That's later. What happened this morning?"

Kate sighs, and he can picture her fingers sweeping across her forehead to rub her brow.

"What hasn't happened? The damn blender exploded smoothie all over my shirt and I was late because of that. I'm getting the runaround from someone I was told was going to be cooperative, things are falling apart with the – " she stops abruptly, clearing her throat. "With a project around here. And to top it off, I'm going insane looking at your stupid smug challenge."

He can't help his laugh. "Yeah I know that feeling. I had to leave the room because it was staring at me."

"It doesn't have eyes, Castle, it can't stare."

"Figuratively speaking."

"Uh huh." She sounds happier now. It must help knowing he's in the same predicament as her. "I should've left it at home, but it came with me anyway."

"Tried to put mine in a drawer, but then I felt bad." He laughs again. "Sorry your day's sucked so far."

She exhales. "Thanks, babe. It's not that bad, but you'd think being on this side of the bureaucracy would help make things move faster than they did when I was on the outside."

"Is there anything I can do? Call one of my guys?"

"No, Castle. I shouldn't have even said anything. Just forget I did, okay?"

Yeah, this part of her job sucks. There's no more foreplay under the guise of building theory together, no more talking things out as they fall asleep, or shaking each other awake at 4 am with a breakthrough. She can't tell him much about her work and she gets frustrated because he knows she _wants_ to fill him in on all the awesome details. But he knows she's still doing great work and he's proud of her for it.

"Okay," he agrees quietly. "Wiped from my brain."

"Thanks, babe, and I'm sorry."

"I know," he murmurs, trying to assure her he isn't upset.

"I gotta go," she says, disappointment heavy in her voice as she adds, "another meeting to sit in on. I'll call you after work, okay?"

"Done. And don't stress too much, Beckett. You got this."

"Thanks, Castle. I love you."

"Love you, too."

There's a spring in his step as he moves back into the office to do some writing. He's feeling inspired once again. Not that he was blocked before, but stress has a funny way of making the words more difficult than they should be. Now they're right there for the taking, ready to move from his head to his keyboard.

Instead of glowering at the envelope propped beside his daughter's picture as he opens his laptop, he grins. Judging by Kate's frustration, he is _so_ going to win this one.

That'll make seeing her again on Tuesday even sweeter.

* * *

><p>"You <em>win<em>," she growls in his ear just two days later, startling him out of his writing stupor. He'd only been half paying attention when he lifted the phone and drawled his name.

His feet fall slam against the floor heavily in his haste to sit up without sending his computer crashing to the floor.

"I _win_? You looked?"

"I opened it," she grumbles. "Because it wouldn't quit taunting me. But I haven't looked yet."

"Okay, I'm gonna open it, too, and we can look together. But I still win, right?"

Kate huffs. "Yes, Castle, you still win."

Fist pumping silently, he plucks the envelope off his desk. "Okay, I'm opening it now, too. Gonna put you on speaker so I don't mangle anything."

"Kay," his fiancée breathes. He can picture her with the paper pressed to her chest, waiting for him to catch up, and his finger shakes as it slips underneath the sealed flap.

"You're sure you wanna look?" he murmurs, averting his eyes from the growing opening to his fiancée's picture on the phone. "Wait, wait, maybe we should Facetime this?"

"Yes! Yes to both," she agrees quickly. "Let's do that."

She ends the call quickly only to Facetime him a second later. Her smile is bright, but nervous and he wishes she were sitting across from him as they did this so he could touch her and kiss her.

"You're sure? I mean, technically I won, but we haven't looked yet. We can wait until next weekend to –"

"We'll celebrate then, okay? I just… I need to know now. It was stupid to think I could wait."

He laughs softly. "And you say I'm the impatient one, Beckett."

"Shut up and finish opening it."

He does, locking his eyes on hers. "Okay, take it out together, but don't look."

She nods, sliding the ultrasound photo out of the envelope in sync with him. The paper crinkles as she presses it to her chest. Both of them toss the envelope to the side before taking a deep breath.

"Ready?" she asks softly.

"Yeah."

"One," she counts, fidgeting nervously.

"Two," he jumps in, watching her face. His hand's sweating a little bit, but he doesn't loosen his grip on the photo. It'd be just his luck to drop it instead of getting a good look.

"Three."

They lift their pictures at the same time, studying the gorgeous grey and white silhouette carefully before moving to the helpfully circled and highlighted portion of the photo. Thanks, Doc.

His throat tightens and he has to swallow hard as tears threaten. That's… wow._Wow_.

Across from him, Kate sniffs too, covering trembling lips with her fingers.

"Wow," she says, somehow knowing exactly what he'd been thinking.

"Yeah," he husks, swiping at his eyes. "Are you – is it – what you were hoping?" She hasn't expressed a preference either way so far, so he's not sure what she's thinking. Is she disappointed? Is she ecstatic?

She laughs softly, sniffing. "It's so much more than that. God, Castle, it's –"

"I know, Kate, I know." He sniffs, too, scrubbing his face quickly. "It's perfect, it's beautiful, it's great."

Like the night she told him she was pregnant, he still hasn't found his words yet. He could say everything on his mind and it wouldn't be enough, not nearly enough to convey how he's feeling right now.

She gets it, though, she gets how overwhelmed and thrilled he is. She gets him. His wife-to-be beams, pressing her copy of the ultrasound against her belly.

"It's real. It's really real," she breathes, laughing again. He chuckles with her. "I mean, obviously I knew that, but it just feels so much more real now. Knowing everything is going well, knowing everything's healthy, knowing this… I'm so happy."

"Me too, me too. I love you, Kate."

"I love you, too. And we can't wait to see you next weekend."

God, he's glad he's flying down on Tuesday instead. He would never survive until next weekend.

* * *

><p>Nervous energy. He's being consumed by nervous energy.<p>

His knee bounces and his fingers drum against his tray table the entire flight, loudly and annoyingly enough that the other occupant of the regional jet's tiny First Class cabin glares at him every few minutes. He tries to apologize once they've landed, to explain that he's on his way to buy a house and see the love of his life, but the business man only offers him a baleful look as he makes his exit.

Well fine, be that way. He has a bidding war to get to anyway. Thanks to the delays at LaGuardia, he's going to be skidding in right on time instead of early like he'd hoped to be. The other potential buyers (actual losers is more like it) might even beat him there, which isn't going to look good.

Connie assures him everything's fine when he calls from the cab. She's already there, ready to act on his behalf if the gods of DC traffic choose not to smile on him. There's only one other person there, which he takes as a good sign. Maybe more won't be showing up and crushing his competition will be easier than he thought.

He runs in with just three minutes to spare, giving the realtor a smile. "Hey, Connie, I'm here. I'm here. Have we started yet? How's it going to work?"

"Glad you made it, Rick. We're about to start, but we're waiting for one more interested party. You'll give me your offer and any contingencies or requests you have, I'll take it inside, and I'll present it to the seller's agents alongside everyone else. Theoretically the sellers will consider all the offers and counter a couple or accept one flat out."

He nods. Okay, that's not too bad. He'll go in with everything he's got, make sure he looks like the best choice. "So who are we still waiting for?"

"I suspect it's the person who made the comparable offer to yours last week."

Damn, he was hoping they would've backed out at the challenge. "What um, how many am I up against?"

"Two plus the one on their way. It could be worse. Last month I helped a buyer get a property that had six competing offers on it."

Rick cracks his knuckles. "Well I'm glad you're in my corner, Connie."

The older woman is about to respond when the heavy door creaks open again and a voice calls, "I'm so sorry I'm late, have we started ye- Connie?"

What the hell? He knows that voice. He said good morning to that voice at 6:45 over a cup of coffee just a couple hours before he left for the airport to get here.

He spins. "Kate?"

"Castle?" Her brow furrows and he sees her hand drop to her stomach. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I'm trying to buy you a house!" he stammers, looking at Connie only to have her shake her head. She hadn't known either. "What are you doing here?" He looks back at his fiancée quickly.

Kate barks a laugh, covering her mouth with both hands for a second, only to reach for him. His arm winds around her waist and he leans into the fingers at his cheeks. "Trying to buy you a house, Castle. I saw the listing and I got so excited I just put in an offer on my own, only to be told to come back today and try again. I wanted to surprise you. Sorry, Connie," she directs over his shoulder before looking back at him.

This time he laughs, too, resting his forehead on hers. "I wanted to surprise _you_. It has everything we wanted. The light, the layout, the nursery for – even the secret _lair_."

"_Surprise_," she singsongs, kissing him heartily. Yeah, he's surprised all right. He's also a little bit more in love with her than he'd ever thought possible.

"Surprise," he echoes, grinning against her lips. Her tongue darts out, getting a taste of the last of his bitter airline coffee. He does the same for her, only he tastes sweetness, honey. She had her tea this morning. "Come on, we're up against two other offers. Get your game face on, Beckett."

Her thumbs slide against his cheeks as they both try to temper their giddiness, their joy. They can't let the competition know just how badly they want this place. "Let's go buy a house, Castle."


	9. Chapter 9

_As always, my thanks to everyone still reading and enjoying this fanfic. I apologize for making you wait for this chapter._

**Out of the Blue - Chapter 9**

* * *

><p>They <em>really<em> need to close on the house.

It's already been delayed twice,the most recent setback coming just yesterday, the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Apparently, their sellers haven't moved into their new place completely and the two month closing he and Kate asked for was contingent upon that happening. He's pretty sure they're more than set, but they just want one final celebration in their home before leaving. Of course, he has no proof and Kate – yet again – won't use her connections to find out. Party pooper.

Taping his last box for the evening, he makes a mental note to call Connie in the morning. She'd been apologetic yesterday, but he needs to find out how long this newest delay is really going to last so he can Kate can reevaluate things. Kate can't keep taking mornings off for closings that won't happen, especially not as the weeks progress.

Kate's second trimester was good to them, more than good to them (really he's never going to forget how thoroughly she exhausted him most days), but at twenty seven weeks they're on the cusp of moving into the third, and she's starting to get nervous. He is, too, if he's honest. It's been a long time since he did this with Alexis and experience has taught him that it won't be a cakewalk from here on out. He knows what could go wrong, he knows the exhaustion that's ahead of them.

Nerves aside, though, he's so excited. He's so excited to finally meet the little person who nudges his palm when he talks, and drives Kate up the wall with kicks when she just wants to relax. He's so excited to hold his child, to trace their tiny fingers and toes, to see them greet each day with innocent eyes.

He knows Kate's eager, too, and he also knows she'll be even more ready once things start to feel under control again. The changes her body's going through, work, the back and forth with the sellers, hell even the packing he's been doing have all been ganging up on her. He just wants to put a stop to that. He wants to give her that calm place they both fell in love with a couple months ago.

The clunk of the lock turning is enough to distract him from his annoyance. She's home early today.

"Hey, Castle," Beckett greets easily, shoving the door closed against the wind with her shoulder. "Mmm, it smells good in here." She shivers against the door. "And it's warm, too."

Scrambling to his feet, Rick pushes the boxes out of the way to get to her. It'd been much, much warmer this morning when she'd left for work, but yet another cold front moved in around noon. He should've brought her a heavier coat or the gloves she'd left at home, but security at her work frowns upon visitors showing up and walking in, even ones with good intentions.

"Hey, Beckett, c'mere, I'll warm you up."

His fiancée laughs easily, stepping into him without protest. His lips dust over her chilled cheeks, warming her without letting her overheat as she squirms out of her coat and tosses it onto the already full dining room table.

"Richard Castle, author by day, space heater by night," she hums, slipping her hands into his back pockets.

Her hands are cold but he doesn't flinch. Even when his lips brush her smile (and she looks entirely too pleased with herself), he pretends she doesn't have a death grip on his butt with her icicle fingers.

"That's world famous author by day, space heater by night."

Beckett nips at his mouth. "Better not be the other way around."

"Author by day, world famous space heater by night?" He grins when she pushes closer, her belly between them. Oh, she knows hers is the only space he's heating, but it's a little bit fun to have her stake her claim. "How was work?"

She smiles against his lips, flexing her fingers gently. "Good. Really good. McCord requested to make me the lead on the case we're working. She trusts my judgment when she's in the field."

"Well she should," he praises, rubbing his hands up and down her back. The press of his fingertips against her lower back earns him an appreciative sigh. "Because you're the best."

"I'm not the best, Castle," she refutes softly, dipping her head. "I'm just glad I finally feel good at the job I'm doing."

Dragging his lips along her hairline, he whispers, "Good. 'Cause I still think you're the best."

"You're biased."

"The best kind of biased," he agrees, stealing another kiss. "Dinner should be ready in an hour or so. Smoothie to tide you over?"

"Please." She lights up at the offer, making him almost a bit jealous of the nutrient rich concoction.

As much as his daughter's boyfriend still annoys him, Kate loves the smoothies Pi taught her to make. Not only that, her doctor's pleased at how healthy they are, so they've remained a staple in the Castle-Beckett household.

Kate leans against the counter, watching him toss the ingredients into the blender. He's an expert at preparation by now, so it only takes a few moments before the appliance whirs to life, swirling color around the glass canister.

"So now that you're lead on the investigation, does that change anything? Longer hours? Travel? Pizza parties?"

Beckett laughs, sliding her hand over her belly. "I wish there were pizza parties, but I'm pretty sure they know I'd eat most of it by myself. Not really a wise company expenditure."

His lips quirk, but he wisely chooses not to comment.

"No travel. This one's local – which you didn't hear – but the goal is to keep me in the office even if McCord is across the country. It's a trial run for after maternity leave if I decide not to do field work full-time. It's not ideal, but… it's also not jet setting and not being here for you both."

They've talked about this before, about the job not being what will define their relationship or the relationship she has with their child, but it's clearly something that's still on her mind. He doesn't try to argue with her; it's something that only time can show her. Instead, he passes the glass over, letting his hands fall to her belly.

He nudges gently in greeting. "Hey little one."

Kate swats at his hand. "Don't, it's naptime."

"Yeah, but naptime now means bladder dance party at 2 AM. You know you don't want that."

Her eyes narrow mid-sip and he knows he's got her. She swallows, licking her lips quickly. "Fine. Poke away."

Grinning, he does exactly that until the moment he feels a nudge in return. He imagines being on the receiving end of a Beckett scowl as the tiny foot kicks at his hand.

"Hey, don't give me that attitude yet. You must be ex utero before that starts."

Beckett laughs, rubbing the other side of her belly. "Your daddy's just saying hi to you, goof ball."

"Goof ball? That one's new."

Kate grins, sipping her smoothie. "But accurate."

Well, she's right about that. Their kid's already funny, already full of personality, even from the womb.

He dips to brush his lips against her belly through her button down shirt. "You want to change? Laundry's on the bed; I washed your leggings."

"Perfect," she exhales, rubbing his neck gently. "Thank you. I am sorry I'm making you do everything around here."

"My idea to move, Beckett. I'll take care of it." His hands curl against her hips. "Go get comfortable, I'll check on our food."

"Or," she hums, beckoning him to rise. "You come with me and give me a hand with this outfit."

"Even better."

Her tongue pokes out from between her teeth. "Yeah? You can spare a minute or two?"

Growling, he drags her closer. "I think we both know it's far more than a minute or two, Beckett."

She shivers against him, clucking her tongue. "Prove it."

* * *

><p>"You're still coming, though, right?"<p>

"Of course we are, Alexis. We just… might be a little later than we expected to be. We might be on time, too. It just depends on the case Kate's working."

"Kay, Dad. As long as you're still going to be here."

The plan was to be waiting for his daughter at the loft when she gets home from school on Wednesday, but with it being almost Tuesday already, and the case taking longer than she expected, it might actually be Thursday morning before they make it back to New York.

"We'll be there, pumpkin," he promises. He just has to hope his mother has followed his instructions and shopped for their supplies, because if she hasn't they'll be ordering takeout for Thanksgiving dinner. Not exactly the way he wants to celebrate the holiday, but as long as he's with Kate and Alexis, they'll make everything else work.

"Okay, good. In that case, we'll see you on Wednesday or Thursday."

"Yeah you will. And um, if you get home before we do, check to see if Gram got everything we need for dinner? I gave her the list we always use, but you know your grandmother."

Alexis laughs lightly. "She likes to get creative," she finishes for him. "I'll do even better. I'll stop in at home tomorrow before my class and check. That way there's plenty of time to get anything we might need."

"You're a life saver, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. And I know I'll be rewarded handsomely for my help."

"That you will, daughter. That you will. Extra pumpkin pie at dinner. Provided Beckett doesn't eat it all. She's been on a pumpkin kick since that fake coffee thing you got her last time we saw you."

"Oh that stuff is great. Just wait until she can have the real thing again. Delicious. I'll learn to make it for her, since it'll be out of season by then."

Smiling, he shifts against the headboard. He wants to wait up for Beckett, but the living room is so cluttered after three straight days of packing, it's more comfortable in the bedroom. Of course, that comfort usually means he dozes off before Kate comes walking in, but he'll have to risk it.

"Yeah I bet she'll like it." His fiancée isn't normally a fan of pumpkin, but for Alexis, he knows she'll try it.

"So speaking of caffeine bans how is my baby brother or sister?"

Subtle, Alexis, subtle. He and Kate agreed to torment the family before finally telling them at Christmas and ever since she learned that he knew and she didn't, his daughter has been trying to wheedle the answer out of him. This isn't one of her more creative efforts.

"Oh, they're fine. I've started waking them from their mid-evening nap because they keep Kate up at night otherwise."

His daughter sighs. "You're really not going to give me a hint are you?"

"Nope. Not a one."

"But what if I want to buy Christmas presents early? Do I buy things for a little girl or a little boy? What if _Jim _wants to buy presents for his grandchild?"

"Don't they make adorable little onesies for either? Maybe something with monkeys, or teddy bears, or space ships. Ducks. Fruits, veggies. You know there's nothing inherently gendered about little heads of lettuce or cabba – "

"_Dad_," she cuts him off with a whine. "I should at least get a hint."

"It's a baby, not an alien."

"No more X-Files on Netflix for you."

He laughs, whistling the theme obnoxiously.

Alexis heaves a sigh. "I hope you annoy Beckett less than this. Otherwise she has my permission to strangle you."

"Definitely less than this. She knows what she's having, too."

"Castle," Beckett chides from the doorway. "Stop teasing your daughter before you slip up and spill the secret."

Startled, his eyes dart to find her leaning against the doorjamb. She wiggles an eyebrow, or she tries to, but the exhaustion on her face keeps it from going very far. He moves to welcome her. Holding her up is only a secondary goal, but if she needs it, he'll do it.

"I'll have you know that I keep secrets wonderfully, even under bragging conditions."

Alexis laughs into his ear again. "Okay, Dad, I'm going back to my studying. I'll take care of everything here. You guys just get here in time to eat."

"We will, pumpkin," he promises again, brushing a hand down Kate's side as she reaches for the phone. "Wait, Kate wants to talk to you."

"Hey, Alexis, I rescheduled for the last flight out on Wednesday. And if that doesn't work, we'll rent a car and drive. Either way we'll be there in time for the parade Thursday morning."

Whatever his daughter says is lost to him, but Kate's smile tells him it's positive. "Right. Yes, he's excited about it. Uh huh, that'll be great, thank you. I owe you one or twenty."

Okay, what's that about?

Kate laughs softly, palming his chest to keep him in place when he tries to move closer. They're conspiring, they have to be. Her lips quirk at his huff.

"Yeah he is," she laughs. "That's your dad. Okay, see you in a couple days. Bye, Alexis."

He waits until the phone screen returns to the dial pad to swoop in for a kiss. His fiancée hums her approval, curling her fingers around his biceps as the affection rocks her off-center.

"Are you two ganging up on me again?" he rumbles, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers.

"She's picking up my _costume_, Castle. Don't you remember? Your family dresses up for Thanksgiving," she mimics, pulling him in for another kiss.

Right, that. It's not _too_ mean to prank a pregnant woman is it?

"Uh huh." He palms her hip. "We do. It's great."

"Yeah, so she said she'd pick it up for me since they'll no doubt be closed by the time we get in on Wednesday."

"Oh, good thinking."

Her nails tease down his arms. "I know." She pecks his mouth again. "Now let me change for bed, I have to be in early to try to get this done in time."

* * *

><p>It's sheer luck that has them making it onto the plane on Wednesday. As of lunchtime, Kate's case had stalled. Then, at 4:30, their suspect flat out got stupid, and they were able to jump on things. They had the guy in federal custody just an hour and a half after that and she was able to grab her bag and dart out of the office, meeting him at the ticketing counter to print their boarding passes with just enough time to get their bag checked without a fuss.<p>

Now they sit in their seats awaiting pushback from the gate. Kate has the window seat beside him. From the way her eyes are closed, the adrenaline has clearly worn off, but her face is happy so he doesn't ask if she's okay.

He checks his messages again, letting Alexis know they're on their way for real. He'd been hoping for an update on the case Ryan and Esposito caught this morning, but that might have to wait until they land in New York. They seem to have their hands full at the twelfth.

Of course, just as he's about to kill the power on his phone, a picture message from Espo comes in. Oh, that is priceless.

"What are you laughing about?" Kate murmurs, hand sliding off her belly to reach for his. Their fingers slot together effortlessly and he turns the phone for her to see.

"Ryan texted me this morning asking about diapers and I thought he was just doing research. Turns out, not so much; this little guy is somehow connected to their case and he's in their custody for a while," he explains.

His fiancée stifles a laugh. It's a pretty funny picture, he can't blame her. Ryan's holding an incredibly unhappy baby, terror written all over his face.

"Oh, poor Ryan."

"Apparently he does that every time Ryan picks him up. It's stressing him out," he chuckles, swiping at the phone to turn it off before the economy class flight attendant gives him the evil eye again.

Beckett clears her throat, banishing her laughter at their friend's expense. "Well I don't blame him. It would stress me out, too. Hell, that _could_ be me." Her brow furrows and her eyes widen. "Oh god, Castle, what if that _is_ me? I have no idea what to do with a baby, no matter how many books I read, I still have no idea. Everybody else always wants to play with babies and take care of them, and I've always just let someone else hold them. Do you know how many babies I've held in my life? Three. _Three_, Castle."

"Hey, hey, it's not going to be you, Kate. It's not. The baby knows your voice, you're comforting. Ryan's a stranger, well-meaning as he is, and the poor kid's probably scared and missing his own mom and dad." His fingers stroke the back of her hand. "You're going to be fine. More than fine, you're going to be great," he adds off her dubious look.

She takes a deep breath, looking out the window at the passing tarmac. "What if I'm not?"

"Then you have me. I don't know if you know this, but babies _love_ me. I'm the baby whisperer."

Her lips twitch. "You are, huh?"

"I am. And that," he pauses, leaning over to dig through his carry on before he continues, "is why I know you'll be amazing, Kate. But, if for some reason you want to win the kid's favor, I'll let you take the credit for this next Thanksgiving."

His fiancée laughs tightly when he splays the ridiculously adorable, fall colored striped sleeper with a turkey bib on her belly.

"There's a hat, too, but I think you get the gist."

Kate laughs again, brushing tentative fingers over the gift. "Oh this one I get to claim?"

"Well, our family does dress up for Thanksgiving." Sure that's only half true, but the sleeper is cute.

She shakes her head affectionately, pressing the onesie against her chest. It's not the first piece of baby clothing he's bought, but just looking at her face, he knows she appreciates the gesture.

"Only you, Castle, only you." Her cheek lands on his shoulder. "You won't let me suck at this, being a mom. Will you?"

"Kate," he murmurs against her ear as the engines whir a little faster. "You won't suck at being a mom. That'd be impossible. But if pigs ever start to grow wings, I won't take advantage of it to become the favorite parent."

It's a stupid joke, but it's worth it to hear her laugh, to feel her release her tension as the plane lifts off the ground.

Her fingers lock around his, pulling his hand to splay across her belly. The baby pushes against his palm in response. "My hero."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know I said there would only be 13 chapters to this fic, but I've actually added another one, so there will actually be 14!_


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